Widespread rains eliminate ‘extreme’ drought in Iowa

[cigaretteman]

The most recent report from the U.S. Drought Monitor — issued May 9, 2024 — shows conditions across the state have improved following rain over the last week. (U.S. Drought Monitor)
For the first time in nearly two years, no part of Iowa has extreme drought — the second-worst dryness classification of the U.S. Drought Monitor.



A new report on Thursday that takes into account the significant rainfall of last week and early this week shows the footprint of drought continues to shrink. About 37 percent of the state has some measure of drought, down from 97 percent in September.


Iowa is wetter, as a whole, than it has been in nearly a year.




Most of the lingering drought is in the eastern half of the state, where a vast expanse of formerly extreme dryness is subsiding. About 19 percent of the state still has severe drought.


The U.S. Drought Monitor has four classifications to describe that severity: moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional.


The classifications are based on an analysis of precipitation, stream flows and temperature, along with local observations of plants and soil moisture, among other data.


Last week the state averaged about 2.23 inches of precipitation, which was more than double what is typically expected.





Moderate rainfall is expected throughout the state in the next seven days, with the highest amounts in eastern and southern Iowa, according to the National Weather Service.

Widespread rains eliminate ‘extreme’ drought in Iowa

Most of the lingering drought is in the eastern half of the state, where a vast expanse of formerly extreme dryness is subsiding.

www.thegazette.com

 

[torbee]

Iowa is wetter, as a whole, than it has been in nearly a year.*

*Insert OP’s mom joke here

 

[Scott559]

It shows on the muni course here in Newton, I can actually take some nice divots I can replace vs just disintegrating into a cloud of dust.

 

[GOHOX69]

My grass looks like north vietnam.

 

[QChawks]

I'm tired of mowing already

let's go back to draught conditions!

 

[torbee]

My grass looks like north vietnam.

 

[GOHOX69]

Yes. that's my back yard haha! Got to get the troops out and agent orange the joint

 

[EagleHawk]

I'm tired of mowing already

let's go back to draught conditions!

I love me some draught conditions.

 

[bagdropper]

Eastern Iowa still has a ways to go unfortunately...keep the rains coming.

But yes...good news overall. Just give us a half inch of rain every 3-4 days and we'll be good for the rest of this spring and summer.