DES MOINES, Iowa — Normally the Friday before Memorial Day is filled with last-minute planning for trips to the lake or swimming pool.
In 2021, though, many Iowans are instead reaching for their thermostat's heat setting ahead of the holiday weekend.
It's not just our imagination. High temperatures across central Iowa ranged from 25-30° below average for May 28th.
As reference, the average high temperature for Des Moines on May 28th is actually 77°.
Friday wasn't just below-average, though. It was record-breaking cool air.
For Des Moines, the coldest afternoon high temperature ever recorded on May 28th was 53°... at least until today.
Furthermore, the National Weather Service in Des Moines confirmed this is only the third time in the city's recorded history with a high of 50° or lower this late in the season.
Other cities in the state experienced near record-breaking cold air, including Ames, Fort Dodge, and Ottumwa.
Morning low temperatures, however, were not record-breaking, despite being well below-average too.
Memorial Day weekend is always quite interesting around our state when it comes to the weather.
In 2018, the final weekend in May featured searing heat, with several days of mid and upper 90s reported all throughout central Iowa.
So what's ahead for the holiday weekend as a whole?
We'll start off with very chilly temperatures early Saturday, as most spots fall to the mid and upper 30s around sunrise. Some frost may even be possible.
Afternoon high temperatures will slowly begin to recover, though.
Most spots will climb into the 60s on both Saturday and Sunday, while highs in the low 70s are expected by Monday.
