It’s been an enjoyably mild winter across Iowa. But is it leading up to a drought year? State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says there are “mild drought conditions” across the northwest half of the state, though it’s a not a major concern yet. Hillaker says it’s more serious further upstream along the Missouri River basin.He says in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and western Nebraska, there’s been a drought for a year or two already. Hillaker says this winter’s been different from the previous one in two ways.It was colder all through last winter and lots of snow stayed on the ground without melting until spring. Hillaker says that’s why there was so much flooding when the snow did melt. Despite the lack of snowfall this winter, Hillaker says most of Iowa has surface-water levels and soil moisture just about exactly at average levels.
