Coming out of a mixed bag of warm, cold, wet and dry weather across Iowa in March and April, we are now anticipating a warmer and dryer May, based on composite years.

March 2023 temperatures averaged below normal in most of Iowa, and total precipitation was near to below normal in most areas, with some above normal amounts in the far southeast. There were more locations in the state that did report above normal snowfall, however. 

April brought wide variability in temperatures to the state from one side of normal to the other. A warm period during the second...