DROUGHT UPDATE: It’s Getting Worse in Iowa
The U.S. Drought Monitor is updated each Thursday, and this week's update shows a large growth in both the "moderate" drought area and "abnormally dry" area.
Over 50% of Iowa is now experiencing "moderate" drought in the latest update, while nearly 90% of Iowa is considered "abnormally dry."
The last time Waterloo had a measurable amount of rain was May 28th when a meager .03” was reported at the Waterloo Municipal Airport. Cedar Rapids had .02” on June 8.
Waterloo hasn’t had more than an inch of rain in a single day since October 22, 2020. On that day it rained 2.94". The most amount of rain Waterloo has received since that date on a single day was .91" on May 8, 2021.
The most recent time Cedar Rapids received at least an inch of precipitation was 1.15” on December 29th.
Since June 9, 2020, the areas surrounding Waterloo and Cedar Rapids have a precipitation departure of anywhere from two to five inches.
It’s currently the ninth driest year EVER in Black Hawk (100% Moderate Drought) and Fayette Counties (78% Moderate Drought), according to drought.gov. In Linn County, it’s the 33rd driest year so far with the county in only 4% Moderate Drought conditions.
On June 8, Sioux Center declared a Water Watch asking all customers with Sioux Center Municipal Utilities to limit lawn irrigation and outdoor watering to two times a week and only do it between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
Des Moines Water Works has asked customers to avoid watering on Mondays and follow an odd/even schedule for watering Tuesday-Sunday.
The amount of moisture in Iowa's topsoil is really starting to show. Iowa's topsoil moisture went from 15% to 39%.
Snake Alley in Burlington, IA
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