Record high temperatures were shattered across the Midwest, Tuesday. In Atlantic, we hit 97 degrees at 4-p.m. That broke the old record of 96 set in 1915. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says readings in portions of northwest and west central Iowa breached 100-degrees Tuesday. The Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area reached 101-degrees for a new record high. Other records broken include Carroll at 102-degrees, Denison and Harlan hit 100-degrees, and Clarinda at 93. Sioux City was at 106-degrees, with Estherville and Spencer both at 103 by mid-afternoon. The record high in Des Moines was set at 3:10-p.m. when the temperature at the Des Moines International Airport hit 94 degrees. The previous record was 93 in 1988.

Hillaker says this is the earliest occurrence of 106 degrees in Iowa since Sac City hit 108 degrees on May 29th, 1934. Historically, there have been 11 years in Iowa since 1873, where temperatures have reached or exceeded 100 degrees in the month of May.1934saw the most days, with 10 dates reaching the century mark. 1934 also saw the highest May reading on record, with 111 degrees at Inwood, set on May 30th.

Conversely, this month also now marks one of the few times that snow has occurred in the same month at 100-degree heat in Iowa. May 1967 saw 8-inches of snow in Glenwood on the third, with temperatures hitting 100 degrees in Onawa on the 24th, and 104 degrees in Sioux Center on the 25th.

In April 1980, snow fell on several different days early in the month, with temps hitting 100 degrees in Fort Dodge and Waterloo on the 22nd.