Des Moines, Iowa — After a few weeks of modest improvements, drought conditions are again worsening in many parts of Iowa as the hottest, driest season of summer is about to begin. Despite a few recent rain showers that soaked some areas of Iowa, state climatologist Justin Glisan says many other areas remain bone-dry, and June is already starting out quite warm.
Computer models also indicate we may be trending toward near-normal precipitation to perhaps wetter-than-average conditions. Looking back at spring, which is traditionally March, April and May, it was the opposite.
Glisan says it’s shaping up to be the 20th driest spring on record for Iowa, and rainfall during May was scarce.
The just-concluded month was also warmer than normal.
A few counties in far eastern and northeastern Iowa are considered “normal” on the latest US Drought Monitor map, while roughly 53 counties are considered abnormally dry, and around 40 counties are in moderate to exceptional drought.
According to the Drought Monitor, the area of severe drought that had crept into O’Brien County and areas to the south and east a couple of weeks ago has disappeared with recent rains, leaving nearly the entire four-county area under only moderate drought for now.
