Despite Iowa as a whole getting above average precipitation in October, the majority of northeast Iowa remains in the “extreme drought†category in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Iowa.
Based on precipitation through 7 am Tuesday, October 31st, all of Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Howard, Fayette, Floyd, and Mitchell counties are still rated in the D3/extreme drought category.
More than three-quarters of Butler, Cerro Gordo and Winneshiek counties, almost two-thirds of Franklin County, about half of Worth and Clayton counties, and a third of Grundy County are also in extreme drought.
The National Weather Service in La Crosse says, from October 25 through October 31, rainfall totals were highly variable. It ranged from 0.20″ at Charles City to over 7″ at Black River Falls, WI.Â
State climatologist Justin Glisan says the figures he’s compiled for October shows precipitation statewide was about a half-inch above normal for the month. Still, less than 2% of the state is considered in normal conditions, while the U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than 98-percent is in some form of drought, ranging from abnormally dry to extreme drought.Â
Glisan adds that the statewide average temperature for October was 53 degrees, two degrees above the October normal of 51 degrees.
Thanks to the El Nino pattern, forecasters say Iowa could be in for above-normal temperatures in the winter ahead.
