IOWA, USA — Dry conditions have returned to Iowa after several weeks of little to no rainfall across the state.
Preliminary statewide precipitation for August was 3.20 inches, which is 0.93 inches below normal.
"So far in September, we've had virtually no rain in the state," Tim Hall, Iowa DNR Hydrology Resources Coordinator said.
Only 0.08 inches of rain has fallen in Iowa by September 19. Many reporting stations are at zero for the month so far.
"August and September together, right now we're running close to three inches behind for those two months," Hall said. "The only thing that saved us is the fact that the 12 months leading up to August were quite a bit wetter than normal."
Iowa received more than 38 inches of rain in the past 12 months. That's a full foot more than what the state saw from September 2022 to August 2023.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 40% of the state is carrying abnormally dry designations. Areas in Southwest and Northeast Iowa are seeing the biggest change.
Rain that occurs during the fall months is especially important for the next year's soil moisture and groundwater leading into the spring planting season.
"If conditions remain dry, we could have issues going into 2025," Hall said.
We're moving into what is typically the driest time of the year for Iowa. On average, the state loses an inch of rain from August to September, then September to October and then October to November.
"By the time we get to December and January, we typically only see about an inch of rain for each of those two months across the state," Hall noted. "Whatever rain we get now is critical for building up soil moisture for the next growing season."
Hall doesn't think the dry conditions will hinder this year's harvest.
The current dry conditions come after a wetter-than-normal spring lifted the state out of a three year drought.
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