The latest Iowa Drought Monitor shows about 15% of Iowa is abnormally dry or experiencing some level of drought conditions, a big drop from a year ago.
Last year at this time a quarter of the state was considered to be in a drought or abnormally dry. This week’s Drought Monitor report shows about 7% of Iowa is in a moderate drought and another 8% percent is abnormally dry. The areas experiencing dry conditions are on the eastern edge of Dubuque County and northern Jackson County along the Mississippi River and 20 counties in the northwest quadrant of Iowa. Northern and western parts of the state have seen dry spells intensify since this spring according to monthly water summary updates from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The Iowa Drought Monitor report, while released today, uses data compiled through early Monday morning. That means heavy rains that have swept through Iowa over the past few days are not reflected in the report.