After a mild start to December, temperatures were colder in Iowa for most of the second and third weeks of the month. During this colder period, temperatures averaged from 9 to 12 degrees below normal in most areas. Above-normal temperatures on several days returned later in December, and this milder weather pushed December average temperatures back to around normal in much of the state.

December precipitation averaged near to above normal in a large part of Iowa, with some below-normal amounts especially in the eastern part of the state. Above-normal December snowfall occurred mainly in ...