Northwest Iowa — This winter has brought generally milder than normal temperatures to northwest Iowa, thanks to the current El Nino weather pattern.
Iowa State University Climatologist Elwynn Taylor says it’s also bringing abundant moisture which is causing sub-soil tiles to run at full capacity to drain the state’s farm fields. Taylor says there’s a big drawback for farmers from El Nino.
Taylor says a strong El Nino weather pattern, like we have now, is often historically replaced by the opposite La Nina pattern, which brings drought conditions during the summer and fall. Taylor says first indications of that won’t be apparent until late March when the sun moves into spring position over the Midwest.
