Southwest Iowa needs rain

Parts of Iowa have had rain the past week, but not in the parched patches in southwest Iowa where drought has settled in.State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says it’s been especially dry the past 40 days. For example, Glenwood has only had 43-hundredths of an inch of rain since June 12th. Normally, five to six inches of rain would fall during that time span.Hillaker says unfortunately, this is the time of year when rainfall is critical for the corn crop. In the past 12 months, Glenwood’s rainfall total is more than 16 inches below normal. That’s definitely a drought, according to Hillaker.Hillaker says the lack of rain is really starting to have an impact on southwest Iowa crops.