Statewide Iowa — Today is the first day of summer and the continued hot, windy conditions are raising fears of flash droughts in Iowa and across the region. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says we’ve been seeing elevated temperatures for a few weeks already and that heat may soon start impacting Iowa corn and soybeans.
A flash drought is the rapid onset or intensification of drought, brought on by all of the conditions we’re seeing. Todey says it can appear and spread very fast.
The latest climate outlooks show warmer temperatures across Iowa and much of the Northern Plains into September. Soil moisture, he notes, is being depleted rapidly due to the hot, windy weather.
