DES MOINES — Iowa’s August precipitation was 3.53 inches, or 0.6 inches below normal for the month, according to the latest Water Summary Update.
This marks the fifth month in a row of below normal statewide average precipitation. Southeast Iowa was the driest region of the state, with Keokuk receiving only 0.25 inches of rain for the entire month.
“Although August was close to normal for rainfall on a statewide basis, rainfall was below normal for the fifth consecutive month. The state needs above-normal rainfall for several months in a row, not another below-normal month,” said Tim Hall, DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources. “Over the past several years, the state has seen very wet September and October months, and that trend would be welcome in 2022.”
Some improvement in drought conditions was made in southwest and central Iowa, but drought conditions worsened in southeast Iowa over the last month.
Streamflow, soil moisture and shallow groundwater levels are all lower than normal in northwest and southeast Iowa.
For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, go to www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.
The report is prepared by technical staff from Iowa DNR, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, and the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.