10 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 
normal. The highest monthly mean was 55.8° at Corning, Adams county, 
and the lowest monthly mean 46.6° at Sibley, Osceola county. The highest 
temperature reported was 91° at Onawa, Monona county, on the 19th; the 
lowest temperature reported was 8° at Fort Dodge, Webster county, on 
the 2d. The average monthly maximum was 83.0°, and the average 
monthly minimum was 15.9°. The greatest daily range was 54° at Sibley, 
Osceola county. The average of the greatest daily ranges was 41.7°. 
Peecipitation. The average precipitation for the State, as shown by 
the records of 125 stations, was 2.24 inches, which is .59 inch below the 
normal. By sections the averages were as follows: Northern section, 
2.78 inches, which is .31 inch above the normal; Central section, 2.30 
inches, which is .57 inch below the normal; Southern section, 1.63 inches, 
which is 1.51 inches below the normal. The greatest amount, 4.59 inches, 
occurred at Inwood, Lyon county, and the least, .67 inch, at Little Sioux, 
Harrison county. The greatest amount in twenty-four hours, 2.42 inches, 
occurred at Pella, Marion county, on the 23d. Measurable precipitation 
occurred on an average of eight days. 
Sunshine and Cloudiness. — The average number of clear days was 
fourteen; partly cloudy, eight; cloudy, eight. The duration of sunshine 
was above the normal, the percentage of the possible amount being 
seventy-five at Charles City; sixty-two at Davenport; sixty-two at Des 
Moines; sixty-two at Dubuque; fifty-nine at Keokuk, and seventy at 
Sioux City. 
Wind. — Northwest winds prevailed. The highest velocity reported was 
fifty miles per hour from the Northwest, at Sioux City, Woodbury county, 
on the 25th. 
The cool wave which spread over the State during the last three days 
of April continued until the 3d of May, causing heavy to killing frost 
in all parts of the State on the 2d which resulted in further injury to 
fruit and garden truck. From the 3d to the close of the month there 
were no decided changes in temperature, it being quite moderate and 
uniform. The average for the month was only 0.7° below the normal 
for May. The most striking features of the weather of the month were 
the abnormally heavy rainfall and the frequency of the showers. Rain 
fell in some parts of the State on every day of the month, and the aver- 
age number of days on which .01 inch or more fell at each station, 
was 15. The average amount of precipitation was 8.34 inches, which 
is 3.84 inches above the normal. This record has been exceeded in 
May but twice during the past 19 years, viz: 1892 and 1903 with an 
average amount of 8.77 and 8.55 inches respectively. The average 
amount of rainfall for May, 1903, was only .21 inch more than the 
average amount for this month, but the damage by floods was far in 
excess of that of this year. The maximum stage of the river at Des 
Moines in May, 1903, was 10.4 feet higher than the maximum stage this 
month, and the difference is due to the fact that in the spring of 1903 
the ground was thoroughly saturated with moisture and all lakes, 
creeks and sloughs were filled wih water which fell during the sum- 
mer and autumn of 1902, so that when the heavy rains came in May 
