Southeast Iowa experienced a dramatic shift in weather over the past week, moving from mild fall days to a wintry chill as the first snow of the season arrived across much of the state. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s latest weather summary, prepared by State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan, detailed the transition from warm, dry conditions to widespread rain, snow, and plunging temperatures.
Through much of the week, southeast Iowa enjoyed temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s with relatively dry skies. That changed heading into the weekend, when a low-pressure system swept across the state, bringing rain and—farther north—accumulating snow. Although snow totals were light in the southeast, heavier amounts fell in northwestern Iowa, with Pocahontas County reporting over five inches.
Donnellson recorded the state’s high temperature for the week at 72 degrees on November 4, an unseasonably warm reading nearly 20 degrees above normal. But by Sunday morning, many locations across the state had dropped into the teens and low 20s, marking the end of the growing season and signaling winter’s arrival.
Statewide precipitation averaged 0.28 inch for the week, below the normal 0.52 inch. Rainfall was more generous in eastern Iowa, where Long Grove in Scott County measured just over an inch.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig noted that the colder turn came as harvest wrapped up across the state. “Based on my observations while traveling around the state and the conversations I’m having with farmers, harvest appears to be nearly complete,” Naig said. “The snow and cold have officially ended the growing season, but forecasts suggest warmer conditions and a higher chance of rainfall later in the month.”
With the first measurable snow in the books and temperatures swinging sharply downward, southeast Iowa residents can expect a brief return to mild weather before more November moisture moves in.