Lincoln, Nebraska — The U-S Drought Monitor map released last week shows more color in Iowa compared to a week earlier.
The Iowa D-N-R’s Tim Hall tracks water issues.
(as said)”We had expansion farther into the state and we also in dryness or drought being added to the list,” Hall says. “We are up to 90 — almost 100 percent of the state now being rated as abnormally dry or in drought.”
The drought scale goes from abnormally dry or D-zero (D-0) up to D-4, which is exceptional drought.
(as said)”There’s no D-4 in the state– although that is my understanding that is possible if we don’t get some rainfall here pretty soon,” according to Hall. “We are starting to see some movement from agricultural drought into hydrological drought — where we are seeing some significant deterioration in stream flows — and that may push the drought monitor folks to looking at some D-4 in limited parts of the state.”
The agricultural drought impacts the crops and Hall says we are at a point where rain would help the soybeans — but it may be too late for corn. The hydrological impact can start to show as communities look to conserve water.
(as said)”As we start to see communities that are unable to meet the demand in their water systems, then we start to see voluntary restrictions and then mandatory restrictions. Hopefully in a way that will prevent them from getting into a real problem with water supply,” Hall says.
Hall says there is still hope that the normal fall pattern of some extended rains will emerge and help alleviate some of the drought.
(as said)”In fact the last two years September and October have been exceptionally wet in the state of Iowa. So, if we have a little bit of that weather pattern, that would be okay,” Hall says.
He says its still a balancing act of getting just the right amount of fall rains.
(as said) He says farmers need to get out and harvest so we need wetter conditions to help with the drought — but don’t want things to be too wet so they can’t get out into the field.
The Drought Monitor shows a large area in central and southwestern Iowa saw the expansion of the extreme drought. That area has had six to ten inches less rain than normal during June-August.
The area in the northern part of our four northwest Iowa counties that was only listed as “D0” or only “abnormally dry” has all but been pushed out, with only a tiny sliver left in extreme northern Osceola County. The great majority of Lyon and Osceola counties are in “D1,” or “moderate drought.” But the majority of O’Brien and Sioux counties are in “D2,” or “severe drought.”
