Statewide, Iowa — While parts of Iowa saw up to two inches of rain on the 15th of August, it may be too little, too late for many of the crops that have been critically damaged by the long string of hot, dry days.
Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says there are big differences in corn crop conditions across the region, especially compared to areas in northwest Iowa that are in extreme drought.
While any more rain that falls on Iowa this week may green up our lawns a bit, Todey says precipitation at this stage on the calendar will be of limited help to farmers.
The latest map from the US Drought Monitor from August 9th, shows moderate drought now stretches all the way from Iowa’s eastern border to the western border and that about 64 of the state’s 99 counties are in some form of drought.
The climate outlooks show above normal temperatures and below normal rain for most of the region through much of September.
