(Radio Iowa) – Iowans don’t usually see a half-foot of snowfall during October but that’s just one more thing we can chalk up for this bizarre 2020. State climatologist Justin Glisan says the month ended up being one of the coldest Octobers in Iowa history, punctuated by that snow squall mid-month that dumped heavy snow mostly in central Iowa, with some areas like Johnston reporting up to nine inches. It made for a chilly month.

Rainfall during October was a mixed bag, as parts of western and central Iowa were still deep in drought or had very dry conditions, while eastern Iowa got more than its share of precipitation.

So what does the month of November hold? Some forecasters are predicting a “snowmageddon,” but Glisan sees a more gradual move toward an early winter.

Forecast models indicate November may be a wetter-than-average month, which he says could be a big plus to “recharge” the soil in areas of Iowa that have been so dry for much of the year.