DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state official says the 102-degree heat recorded this week in southern Iowa made it the hottest day this late in the year in six decades. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says the 102-degree heat was recorded Monday at Donnellson and Keokuk. He says the last time a reading that high occurred this late in the year was Sept. 28, 1953, when 100-degree readings occurred across nearly half of the state.

He says that in all, high temperatures have reached 100 or more 109 times in 38 different Septembers. He says most of those winters were followed by less snow than usual, but one was among the coldest and snowiest winters on record. Bottom line? He says, “with hot September weather you always need to be prepared for anything in Iowa.”

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 95, just three degrees shy of the record high for Sept. 10th.