Statewide Iowa — The new map from the US Drought Monitor shows soil conditions in Iowa are improving, slightly, thanks to rain and snow in the past week.
The broader picture for the Midwest is worsening, however, with drought conditions expanding over much of the Northern Plains. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says some crops in the region are already stressed.
The worst of the drought in our state is isolated in far west-central Iowa, and for the region, the driest areas are also to the west.
Todey notes much of South Dakota and Nebraska saw less than half of the normal snowfall for the winter. He says there is a big contrast in conditions across the Midwestern crop production areas.
The latest map from the US Drought Monitor shows roughly 41 Iowa counties are in the category of “abnormally dry,” improving from 45 counties last week. The new map shows 34 counties are in “moderate drought,” versus 36 a week ago. Large sections of Monona and Woodbury counties are listed as “severe drought,” that’s unchanged, while there are around 22 counties where soil moisture levels are considered “normal,” an improvement from 16 counties last week.
