Spencer, IA (KICD)– The month of March may have entered as a lamb but ended up exiting more as a lion when it comes to both temperature and precipitation.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan says Spencer ending the month more than three and a half degrees above normal is not exactly uncommon with other parts of the state.

Liquid precipitation was also on the higher side of normal with more than three inches of rainfall measured locally all thanks to the strong low pressure system that worked through the region near the end of March.

That extra rainfall over the past couple of weeks has started to show some improvement in the ongoing drought conditions as well.

It appears as though we will be coming out of that strong El Nino pattern that brought a warmer and mostly dry winter across the region as we work toward summer into more of an neutral pattern which Glisan notes does tend to lean more toward wetter than normal conditions throughout Iowa.