Statewide Iowa (RI) – The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows dry conditions expanded in Iowa in the last week of May. The DNR’s Jessica Reese McIntyre says while things expanded overall, we did see the worst drought area go away.
We went from around 57 percent of the state having no dry conditions to around 28 percent. The majority of the areas are categorized at the lowest level called extremely dry, with the rest listed at moderate drought.
McIntyre says the flash drought is an area that pops up, but is not expected to last very long. While rain is in the forecast over the next several days, she says the signals for June show things could be drier.
McIntyre says it looks like the northwest area is going to continue to struggle with dry conditions. The one benefit of the dry weather is farmers have been able to make good progress in planting. She says farmers are going to want some rain soon to help the new crops.
