Iowa Weekly Growing Season Report
Preliminary weather summary for the week April 27 - May 3, 2026
After four consecutive unseasonably warm reporting periods, temperatures across Iowa were cooler than average; the statewide average temperature was 50.7 degrees, 3.2 degrees above normal. A much less active weather pattern held across the Midwest with no significant severe weather reported in Iowa. Rainfall totals were slightly above average northwest and south.
A low pressure system pushed across the state through Sunday (26th) afternoon bringing showers and thunderstorms to southern and northwestern Iowa. Additional development of more broadscale rainfall occurred after midnight and continued through the late morning hours of Monday (27th); isolated thundershowers formed along the lagging cold front into the afternoon with hail observed in Lourdes (Howard County). Event rain totals were highest in Dickinson County where amounts at five stations varied from 1.93 inches in Milford to 3.74 inches at Lake Park. Over 70 stations collected at least an inch with most Iowa stations reporting measurable amounts; the statewide average rainfall was 0.68 inch. Daytime conditions remained overcast with a westerly wind and temperatures from the upper 40s northwest to low 70s southeast. Clouds cleared much of western Iowa by sunrise on Tuesday (28th) with morning lows in the 40s and light northwesterly winds. Scattered showers moved into southwestern Iowa later in the day with afternoon temperatures holding in the 50s. Additional rain was reported over northern Iowa with several stations measuring more than 0.10 inch of rain with 0.25 inch in Dundee (Delaware County) and 0.46 inch in Rock Rapids (Lyon County). Wednesday (29th) was a generally quiet day, with partly to mostly cloudy morning skies yielding to partly sunny conditions in the afternoon and temperatures again in the 50s.
Morning showers cleared out of central and western Iowa by Thursday (30th) afternoon with northwesterly winds, partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s. Friday (1st) saw variable winds as a weak low pressure disturbance pushed through the state. Scattered showers formed in eastern Iowa later in the afternoon, though rainfall totals were minor. Cloudy skies persisted into the nighttime hours, clearing into early morning. Stations across northern Iowa reported readings in the upper 20s at 7:00 am on Saturday (2nd) with 30s over southern Iowa. Daytime temperatures rebounded into the 60s with winds becoming westerly under sunny skies. A shifting southerly wind held Sunday (3rd) morning lows through much of Iowa in the upper 40s and low 50s with some cloud cover observed in eastern Iowa.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.04 inch in Holstein (Ida County) to 3.79 inches in Lake Park. The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.71 inch; the normal is 1.04 inches. Davenport (Scott County) and Mount Ayr (Ringgold County) reported the week’s high temperature of 79 degrees on the 27th, on average 14 degrees above normal. Spencer Municipal Airport (Clay County) reported the week’s low temperature of 25 degrees on the 2nd, 17 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the mid to upper 50s statewide as of Sunday.
