(Atlantic) 2020 was the driest year Atlantic has ever experienced. Just 18.82 inches of precip were recorded over the past.
2018 and 2019 were the wettest two years on record back-to-back in the state. 2020 changed the trend. Southwest Iowa altogether had its 8th driest year ever, but Atlantic specifically saw a lot of storms dodge right around it. “That’s about half as much as you’d expect. 18.07″ below normal. That is the driest ever for that coop station going back to 1893.”
Atlantic’s warmest temperature recorded for the year was 94 degrees on two occasions in June. The lowest temp was -11 in January. On a wider scope the biggest weather story for the year however was the August 10th Derecho, but that wasn’t the only unusual event. Tropical Depression Cristobal moved through the state. “And that was on June 9th. The first tropical depression to move through the the state was in 1900 on September 11th so quite the span of years between the two. A very extreme event that doesn’t occur that often.”
Two months that stand out for their temperatures took place back to back with October being the 6th coldest ever and November being the 10th warmest. “We kind of see that behavior when you have a cold month you see a flip for the next month.”
Glisan says for the state as a whole this year the temperature averaged one degree above normal at 49.2 degrees. It was the 33rd warmest year on record. In terms of precip, the typical average is just over 35″. The total this year was 28.92″, making it the 36th driest year. It was one of the driest since 2012.
