pattern featuring above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation was dominant in much of the central United States during the last few months of 2015. The climatological fall season, including September through November, ranked as the fifth warmest for Iowa in 143 years of records.

The fall wetness in Iowa was primarily due to a wet November and wet conditions in some areas in September. For the lower 48 states, this fall period ranked as the warmest on record since 1895 as well as the 15th wettest.

The wet weather continued into December....