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Aug. 1, 2018 |  By: Roz Brown, Iowa News Service

Weather trending toward extremes in Iowa

Warmer temperatures, more rainfall, higher humidity and greater weather extremes are what's ahead for Iowa, according to new climate projections available from the Climate Science Special Report. The data was gathered for the fourth annual National Climate Assessment. Gene Takle is a retired Iowa State University agronomy professor who helped prepare Iowa's information. He says projections show that Iowa's annual five-day heat-wave temperatures each summer – currently 90 to 95 degrees – will be much higher by 2050.

"The maximum temperature for that five-day period is likely to go up by 13 degrees Fahrenheit by mid-century from what it was at the end of the 20th century," Takle said.

Takle says in 30 years, Iowans also can expect temperatures to climb as high as 108 degrees about once every decade. He also says that they should also expect these recent extreme weather events to continue - including flooding in normally dry seasons and heavy rainfall that causes flooding. 

He says a huge change in Iowa's weather has been a big jump in humidity levels.

"Part of the discomfort that we feel today is just because of this higher humidity, even though in many cases temperature is less than it was back in the '50s or '60s."

To successfully deal with hotter summers, Takle believes Iowa residents will need to reduce energy use by driving less, purchase more energy-efficient appliances and plant more trees.