522 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



southeastern and extreme eastern counties; but over parts of the districts 

 named occurred the heaviest March precipitation of record. 



The special features of the month were the unseasonably higih tem- 

 peratures on the 12th over the southern half of the state, a six-day period 

 of heavy precipitation over the southeast and extreme east and the 

 storm of the 21st-22d. At Des Moines the temperature on the 12ith rose 

 to a hig'her degree (77°) than ever previously reached so early in the 

 season. The period of heavy precipitation referred to extended from the 

 21st to the 26th, inclusive. The fall at Washington during that time 

 amounted to 5..nfi inches, or all hut 24 0'£ an inch of the month's total 

 at that station. On the 26th the rainfall there was 4.41 inches, which 

 compares T\ith the heaviest 24-hour amounts liable to occur at any time 

 of the year in Iowa. At Dubuque the precipitation for this period was 

 3.73 inches, or more than has occurred at that station during any entire 

 March in 39 years. The storm of the 21st-22d in the eastern part of the 

 state was characterized by heavy snow and a thunderstorm of much 

 intensity. Loud thunder and sharp lightning occurred simultaneously 

 with the fall of snow. 



The warm weather early in the month started grass to growing, so 

 that by the close some lawns were almost ready for mowing in southern 

 sections. Spring seeding began in southern Iowa except over the wet 

 sections of the southeast, but in the northern part of the state no field 

 work was done. While some reports are conflicting as to the condition 

 oif fall-sown grains, there now appears no doubt but that in some sections 

 serious damage has occurred owning to winter killing. 



Pressure. — The mean pressure (reduced to sea level) for the state 

 was 29.99 inches. The highest recorded was 30.56 inches, at Keokuk and 

 Sioux City, on the 15th, and the lowest was 29.16 inches, at Davenport, on 

 the 6th. The monthly range wasi 1.40 inches. 



Temperature. — The mean temperature for the state, as shown by the 

 records of 104 stations, was 35.2°, or 1.9° higher than the normal. By 

 divisions, three tiers of counties to the division, the means were as 

 follows: Northern, 31.6°, or 1.1° higher than the normal; Central, 35.4% 

 or 1.8° higher than the normal; Southern, 38.5°, or 2.6° higher than the 

 normal. The highest monthly mean was 41.8°, at Northboro, a station in 

 the extreme southwestern part of the state, and the lowest monthly 

 mean was 27.8°, at Estherville, in the northwest and near the Minnesota 

 boundary. The highest temperature reported was 80°, at Clarinda, on the 

 12th; this is about the average highest temperature that occurs during 

 March in Iowa. The lowest temperature reported was -18°, at Algona, on 

 the 2d. On the average a temperature as low as 18° below zero in March 

 is experienced about every 5th year in this state. 



Humidity.— The average relative humidity for the state at 7 a. m. wais 

 82.3 per cent, and at 7 p. m. it was 65.3 per cent. The mean for the month 

 was 73.9 per cent, or about U.4 per cent lower than the normal. The high- 

 est monthly mean was 81.0 per cent, at Charles City, and the lowest 

 was 67.2, at Omaha, Nebr. 



