622 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Davenport, Dubuque, Des Moines and Sioux City. This proved 

 very popular, but can not be conducted satisfactorily without more 

 funds. 



CLIMATOLOGY OF THE YEAR, 1920. 



The mean temperature, 48.2^, is 0.8° above normal. February, 

 March, June, September, October, November and December were 

 above normal; the other months below. The highest temperature 

 recorded was 102°, at Clarinda, on July 23. The low^est was — 26°, 

 at Elkader, on January 4, and at Inwood on December 24. The 

 annual variation in temperature within the State was 128°. The 

 total precipitation averaged 31.75 inches, or 0.22 inch below normal. 



Spring work was very backward, particularly in the southern dis- 

 tricts. Fruit blooms were beneficially retarded. 



The mid-summer was cool and pleasant for human beings and 

 animals and favorable for cool weather crops such as potatoes, but 

 unfavorable for maturing corn. However, abnormally warm, dry 

 weather September 10th-28th and through most of October matured 

 the largest corn crop of record in Iowa, both in yield per acre, 

 which was 46.0 bushels, and in total production which amounted 

 to 473,800,000 bushels. It is unusual that a record breaking corn 

 crop and a large potato crop are raised in the same year. In fact, 

 all crops raised in the State were bountiful except spring wheat, 

 which was nearly a failure. 



Barometer (reduced to sea level). The average pressure of tlie atmos- 

 phere for the year was 30.03 inches. The highest pressure was 30.87 inches, 

 at Sioux City, on January 24. The lowest pressure was 29.00 inches, at 

 Dubuque, on December 13. The range for the State was 1.87 inches. 



Temperature. The mean temperature for the State was 48.2° or 0.8° 

 above normal. The highest annual mean was 52.3°, at Keokuk, Lee County. 

 The lowest annual mean was 44.8° in Clayton County near Postville. 

 The highest temperature reported was 102°, at Clarinda on July 23. The 

 lowest temperature reported was -26° at Elkader, Clayton County, on Jan- 

 uary 4, and at Inwood, Lyon County on December 13. The range for the 

 State was 128°. 



Precipitation. The average amount of rainfall and melted snow for the 

 year was 31.75 inches, or 0.22 inch less than the normal, and 5.01 inches 

 less than the average for 1919. The greatest amount at any station was 

 44.00 inches, at Humboldt, Humboldt County, and the least amount was 

 20.95 inches, at Cedar Rapids, Linn County. The greatest monthly pre- 

 cipitation was 8.52 inches at Britt, Hancock County, in August. The least 

 amount was a trace, at Denison, Crawford County, in January. The great- 



