(Radio Iowa) – It’s been a big year for bad weather in Iowa and state climatologist Justin Glisan says there’s a new record in an undesirable category — most tornadoes in a single year. “We’re about 127 tornadoes across the state, and that beats the record that was set back in 2004 with 121 tornadoes, and our season’s not over yet,” Glisan says. “So it’s been a very active severe weather season, with hail, high winds, we’ve had a derecho, but then all these tornadoes as well.” Tornadoes can strike during any month of the year, even during the wintertime. In 2021, Iowa had a record 63 tornadoes in a single day — in December. That was during the state’s second derecho in as many years, and that December outbreak set another record for most EF-2 tornadoes in one day — at 21.

As for the month ahead, Glisan says August promises to be something of a rollercoaster as far as temperatures. “Look at those short term outlooks that get us six to ten days out, so in the middle of the month, and they are showing a cooler signal, at least initially,” Glisan says, “Then you look at eight- to 14-day highlights, we’re getting into the third week of August, that’s where we see a slightly elevated signal for warmer temperatures coming back in.” Rainfall should be about average for August, though Glisan notes July’s rainfall was nothing close to average. “Particularly in eastern Iowa, we saw rainfall totals 150 to 200% of normal, so you’re two to three inches above average,” Glisan says. “Overall across the state, about five and a half inches, preliminarily, and that’s about 1.3 inches above average.”

The month goes into the books as the 6th wettest July on record for Iowa.