Drought Worsens + Possible Severe Weather on the Way

As drought conditions worsen across the state, the National Weather Service in Des Moines says that there is the possibility of strong to severe storms on Friday afternoon/night.

Damaging hail and wind will be the main threats, but tornado activity cannot be ruled out.

We can definitely do without the severe weather, but we are in dire need of rain. How much can we expect? Unfortunately, not a whole lot through Saturday morning.

However, it appears that we MIGHT get over an inch of rain in the next seven days.

On Thursday, August 19th, Drought.gov released its latest update, and conditions have worsened in Iowa.

"Extreme Drought" conditions have increased in Iowa from 7.2% to 10.5%. In this level of drought:

• Pastures are dry; producers sell cattle; crops are tested for toxins; crops have pest infestation

• Trees drop leaves; acorns are underdeveloped

• Warm water leads to fish kills; streambeds are low to dry

In Black Hawk County, it's currently the seventh driest year on record. (in 127 years). It's the 24th driest year in Linn County.