Iowa State Fair forecast: Fair's first few days are missing something — heat (2024)

Happy State Fair, everybody, biggest outdoor event we have here in Iowa every year. So weather plays *** big role. Now, once we're in August, usually we're *** little bit after the normal hottest time of the year in Iowa. That usually happens in mid to late July. But obviously it's still warm. Your average highs here in the Des Moines metro area are usually right around the low to middle eighties during that state fair time. Middle of the month though, you know, 11 days, it's usually about an inch and *** half of rain that we get over the past 30 years. That's at least the average. Of course, there's *** lot of variation around that. Let's talk about some of the extremes that we've seen in temperature, particularly during state fair time, at least during the recent decades. Actually, if you go back in state fair history, way back in the day, the state fair used to be held in different places in eastern Iowa for the 1st 25 years of its existence used to be held *** little bit later in the year as well. So we're going to look at recent decades to take *** look at some of these things here. So for example, warmest state fair ever, 1983 s six days where we had 100 degree temperatures. Those are the only days in history. Actually during the state fair, we've had triple digit readings and they're all during that fair. Hottest number was 108 degrees. We do have cold weather though during the state fair as well. For example, since the state fair has been held in only in August, which has been basically since the 19 sixties, 2004 is our coolest fair. We had eight of the 11 days of the fair that never even got to 80 degrees. Coolest high temperatures. Actually back in the 19 sixties, we only had *** high of 58. That's pretty cool and we actually don't have heat all the time either. You look at that bottom bar over the past 60 fairs only about *** third of them. We didn't actually have *** 90 degree day. So we actually do have *** fair number of fairs that aren't hot. Now, of course, guess what the humidity you got to factor in that as well. If you're looking for your hottest heating index during the Iowa State fair, you got to go back to 1951 111 degrees. We had *** heat index of at one point during that fair. It's been *** couple numbers closer than that though. Uh, for example, back in 2016. We had *** 110 degree heat index. So obviously we get plenty of that periodically wettest fair on record eight and almost 8.5 inches of rain during the 1977 fair. That's *** ton of moisture. Guess what's number two? You'll never guess it's 1993. The second wettest fair on record either way, whatever happens this year around, get out there. Enjoy it. Get your funnel cakes, your corn dogs and go see the butter cow. The grandstand shows everything like that. Just make sure you check the forecast before you go.