Northwest Iowa — The overabundance of precipitation we’ve seen this spring is causing many to wonder if this is the wettest spring we’ve ever seen here.
If we look at total precipitation for March, April and May 2019, we see that we have already received just shy of 16-inches. We don’t have to go back very far to find a similar spring, at least in precipitation totals. In 2013 the total precipitation measured in Sheldon for those three months was a little over 15-inches. But, there was a difference. In 2013 over six inches of that total fell after May 25th. In addition, as of 7:00 am Thursday, we have received 9.05-inches more precipitation than we would have received in a normal year. At the end of May 2013 the year-to-date precipitation was 6.5-inches above normal.
Part of the reason for the overabundance of water this spring includes some heavy rains in the latter part of 2018, including nearly twelve inches in June and 9.5 in September. As a result, we went into the winter with higher than normal ground saturation. Then we experienced a winter that produced a total snowfall measuring nearly a foot above normal. The melting snow was followed by our spring rain events that arrived often, and usually stayed around for days at a time.
One other interesting side note; as of Thursday morning we have received 18.25-inches of precipitation this year. In a “normal year” we wouldn’t reach that precipitation total until mid-August.
