The massive hurricane that blew into Florida and the southern U.S. won’t be felt directly in Iowa, but it will have an indirect impact.
Iowa DNR hydrologist Tim Hall says the forecast shows the weather system will keep things dry here. “Because of the hurricane in the southeast, virtually the entire United States, from the Mississippi River West, shows zero rainfall,” he says. Hall says the impact could keep rain away for up to seven days.
The storm could have a positive impact as it brings rain to southeast Ohio. “They could get five or six inches of rain in the next seven days over a wide stretch of the Ohio River Valley, and that would really help to bring some elevated stream flows back and get some water into the Mississippi River,” he says.
The Mississippi River carries barges full of Iowa grain and the lower Mississippi River water levels have been down due to drought in the Ohio River valley. “When we get south where the Ohio River comes into Mississippi, from there, downstream, half the flow in the Mississippi River comes out of the Ohio River Basin. So when we see really dry flow in the Ohio River that affects a significant amount of the Mississippi river flow,” Hall says.
Hall says we won’t get the rain in Iowa , but can be glad it is going to fall somewhere that will benefit Iowa farmers. “You have to think more holistically. Yes, we’re concerned about the state of Iowa, but we’re concerned at looking at Mississippi river levels for barge traffic this fall as we look to move grain south to the Gulf of Mexico. So that’ll certainly help,” he says.
The Iowa DOT keeps track of barge traffic on the Mississippi and has recently said barges would have to carry less grain with lower water levels, and that can increase grain transportation costs.