National Weather Service forecasters say the Midwest is in for a serious drought this summer and parts of Iowa are expected to be among the most severely affected. Iowa climatologist Harry Hillaker says the national forecasts are echoing what he’s been predicting since last fall.The Weather Service says it’s been 45 years since the region has been hit with this serious of a drought this early in the year. Hillaker says statistics from the past month are telling…normal April precipitation is three-point-two inches while Iowa only got about two inches this April. It was Iowa’s 29th driest April on record. Hillaker blames the “la nina” weather pattern for the dry spell, which will likely last at least through August.April of 2000 was the driest on record for Missouri. As for Iowa, the Weather Service predicts the driest parts of the state will be roughly southwest of a line from Spirit Lake to Burlington — virtually all of southern and western Iowa.
