There were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending April 26, 2026, which is 2.0 days more than last year.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 8 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 14 percent surplus. Corn planting in Iowa reached 22 percent complete, which is 10 percent behind last year when 32 percent of the crop had been planted. Soybean planting reached 11 percent, which is 12 percent behind 2025, when 23 percent of the crop had been planted.
Weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – While rainfall was widespread across Iowa though April’s last full week, this was the first reporting period with below normal totals for most stations; only the southwest corner was unseasonably wet. Temperatures remained unseasonably warm with positive departures approaching nine degrees east; the statewide average temperature was 57.4 degrees, 6.0 degrees warmer than normal.
Gusty northwesterly winds held Sunday afternoon (April 19) temperatures in the mid 40s northeast to mid 60s southwest with stray clouds passing over the state. Monday dawned chilly with morning lows in the upper 20s to mid 30s north to south. Winds swung back around to a southerly direction under clear skies with daytime temperatures reaching the 60s across western Iowa; temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees cooler farther east.
Southwesterly winds increased overnight into Tuesday, April 21, with lows around sunrise in the low to mid 50s at most stations. Unseasonably warm temperatures blanketed much of Iowa’s northwestern half with mid to upper 80s observed at many locations; the statewide average high was 83 degrees, 20 degrees warmer than normal. Isolated showers developed over northwestern Iowa around daybreak on Wednesda, leaving behind minor rainfall totals at several stations; Le Mars (Plymouth County) collected 0.09 inch while 0.19 inch was reported in Spencer (Clay County). Skies remained generally clear through the day as southerly winds ramped up with temperatures in the mid 70s over southern Iowa to the low to mid 80s across the northern reaches of the state.
Cloud cover increased over western Iowa into Thursday, April 23, as a cold front advanced through the state. Afternoon conditions within the warm sector were unstable with ample forcing for upward motion in the presence of low level wind shear. Storms fired along the Iowa-Nebraska border and quickly became severe-warned. Multiple weak tornadoes were confirmed with some structural damage in Little Sioux (Harrison County). Large hail was the dominant mode of severe weather until the front pushed into central Iowa later in the evening. Three additional weak tornadoes were observed near Slater (Story County), around Mitchellville (Polk County) and just east of Interstate 35 in Weldon (Decatur County). From central Iowa on, the event transitioned to numerous straight-line wind reports with a 70 mph wind gusts in Lamoni (Decatur County) and Davenport (Scott County). Rainfall was reported at most Iowa stations with more than 75 collecting at least 1.00 inch; two stations in Delaware County, Hopkinton and Manchester, reported 1.67 inches and 2.11 inches, respectively, with a statewide average of 0.60 inch.
Winds shifted to the northwest behind the front with Friday morning temperatures in the low 30s northwest to mid 50s southeast. Afternoon conditions were pleasant with highs in the 60s and sunshine. Saturday, April 25, was nearly a mirror image of the previous day except for easterly winds, signaling an approaching low pressure system. Showers moved into western Iowa into the afternoon hours with totals holding under a few tenths of an inch, though Underwood (Pottawattamie County) hit 0.76 inch. Western Iowa remained overcast into Sunday morning while clear conditions were reported in the east with lows in the 40s.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.01 inch in Clinton (Clinton County) to 2.11 inches in Manchester (Delaware County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.69 inch; the normal is 0.98 inch. Mapleton (Monona County) and Sioux City Airport (Woodbury County) reported the week’s high temperature of 89 degrees on April 21, on average 26 degrees warmer than normal. Municipal airports in Mason City (Cerro Gordo County) and Spencer (Clay County) reported the week’s low temperature of 21 degrees on April 20, on average 16 degrees cooler than normal. Four-inch soil temperatures varied from the low 50s northwest to mid 60s southeast as of Sunday.
