Wind, heat, cold...Iowa has it all

Wind turbines stand over a farm near Alta. Iowa's geography and climate make it ideal for producing wind energy. Iowa is now second in the nation in wind energy capacity / AP photo

By Misti Huedepohl

Iowa.com

Iowa's geography gives us a variety of weather conditions from extreme heat and cold to tornadoes and snowfall.  Winds blow strong and steady across Iowa and its relatively flat terrain make it an ideal location for wind-generated energy. In fact, Iowa is now second in the nation for wind energy capacity.

The state is considered a temperate climate as it experiences four distinct seasons of weather. The average temperature is 49°F (9°C). The state averages 166 days of full sunshine and 199 days of cloudy or partly cloudy days.

Des Moines, located in central Iowa, has a normal daily maximum temperature of 86° F (30°C) in July and a normal daily minimum of 10°F (-4°C) in January.  The southwest part of the Iowa tends to be slightly warmer than this while the northeast part tends to be slightly cooler.

Springs are generally wet with 85 percent of the 45-65 thunderstorms Iowa experiences annually occurring between April and September. Because of the rivers' tributaries dissecting the state, excessive snowfall in the winter prior followed by excessive rainfall in the spring resulted in flooding in June 2008, which caused catastrophic damage in many communities, especially Cedar Rapids where nearly 1,200 city blocks were flooded and over 25,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Precipitation for the year averages around 34 inches.

Summers are warm and humid and severe weather may occur. Around 46 tornados occur in a year particularly in the months of May and June. In May 2008, the National Weather Service reported an EF5 tornado struck Parkersburg, Aplington, New Hartford, Waterloo and Dunkerton. The tornado, about a mile wide, caused severe devastation, killed seven people and injured dozens.

Occasionally Iowa experiences Indian Summer, a period when a mild warm period occurs after a killing freeze and shortly before winter arrives. Seasonal snowfall averages 32 inches and the snow season ranges from mid-October to  mid-April.

Source: NOAA National Weather Service Regional Office.

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Your turn: Iowans say that "if you wait 10 minutes, the weather will change." Do you know any other folklore or sayings about Iowa weather? Share them on this page.