(KIWA Staff Photo)Lincoln, Nebraska — The latest Iowa Drought Monitor report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows the area of moderate drought is expanding.
Last week, the moderate drought in our four-county area was only in extreme southern O’Brien County and extreme southeastern Sioux County. Now there’s a large patch of moderate drought in Lyon County. In fact, almost the entire county is in moderate drought. Extreme eastern Lyon County, a small patch in southeastern Lyon County, and a small patch in southwestern Lyon County remain in the “abnormally dry” category.
According to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor for Iowa, 55% of Iowa remains entirely free of dry conditions. Moderate drought has expanded to cover 26% of the state, primarily impacting northern and western regions. The Iowa DNR Water Summary Update has issued official drought watches for both the northwest and southwest drought regions. State technical staff warn that because Iowa is entering its naturally drier season, these western drought conditions are projected to persist and potentially expand through October.
