Sept. 28 – Oct. 4, 2026
After a very wet start to the reporting period influenced by moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Polo, a major pattern shift finally brought drier weather to Iowa. Temperatures also rebounded to above normal with positive departures approaching six degrees; the statewide average temperature was 61.8 degrees, 4.0 degrees above normal.
Showers lingered across eastern Iowa into Sunday (27th) afternoon with overcast skies statewide and temperatures rising into the evening hours; upper 70s were observed in southwest Iowa with upper 60s southeast and upper 50s northeast. Foggy conditions developed around sunrise on Monday (28th) under persisting cloud cover and morning lows in the low 60s. Clear skies in the southeast corner helped temperatures drop into the mid 50s with a light northerly wind. Sunshine returned to much of southern Iowa through the day with highs reaching into the mid to upper 70s; cloud cover farther north held temperatures in the 60s. Southeasterly winds developed overnight into Tuesday (29th) under starry skies with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s east to low 60s west. Clouds increased through the day as showers pushed into western Iowa by the late afternoon hours. Rainfall overspread the state into the morning hours on Wednesday (30th) with widespread fog, light southerly winds and temperatures in the 60s. Much of southern Iowa received between 0.50 to 1.50 inches with higher totals southwest to south-central; several stations reported more than 2.00 inches with 2.07 inches in Creston (Union County) to 2.40 inches in Indianola (Warren County) and a statewide average of 0.70 inch. A more potent low pressure center advancing through Nebraska brought initial lines of moderate to heavy rainfall to western Iowa by midnight, necessitating flash flood warnings. Higher rainfall rates spread across west-central to north-central Iowa, with a swath of more than a month’s worth of rainfall along the surface warm front; Logan (Harrison County) reported 4.68 inches, Earling (Shelby County) hit 4.93 inches with 5.51 inches in Portsmouth (Harrison County). Widespread 2.00-4.00 inch totals at over 60 stations extended northeast and along the periphery of the high-intensity swath; 178 stations collected at least an inch with a statewide average of 1.18 inches.
The system and its attendant cold front continued into eastern Iowa through Thursday (1st) with clearing skies and a shift to northerly winds in western Iowa. Rainfall was generally over by sunrise on Friday (2nd) with morning lows in the mid to upper 40s in northwestern Iowa, behind the surface boundary. Rain totals were highest in the southeast corner with a handful of stations over 2.00 inches; Le Claire Lock and Dam (Scott County) registered 2.01 inches with 2.62 inches in Wapello (Louisa County) and 4.15 inches in Muscatine (Muscatine County). Air temperatures warmed into the low 60s with light and variable winds, beginning a string of pleasant days not seen since early September. Morning lows on Saturday (3rd) were in the mid to upper 40s with pockets of low 50s. Ample sunshine and gusty southerly winds pushed temperatures back into the 60s with low dewpoints, promoting evaporation of shallow soil moisture. Star lit skies persisted into Sunday (4th) with morning temperatures in the 50s.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.06 inch in Sheldon (O’Brien County) to 6.49 inches in Portsmouth. The statewide weekly average precipitation was 1.99 inches, while the normal is 0.74 inch. Mount Pleasant (Henry County) reported the week’s high temperature of 84 degrees on the 29th, 12 degrees above normal. Spencer Municipal Airport (Clay County) reported the week’s low temperature of 34 degrees from the 2nd, 10 degrees below normal.
