There’s noticeable improvement in drought conditions (or lack thereof) across the region in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Iowa.
Based on precipitation through 7 am Tuesday, April 22nd, all of Allamakee, Chickasaw, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell, Winneshiek, Winnebago, and Worth counties have improved from being rated D1 for moderate drought to D0 for abnormally dry. The vast majority of Clayton County is also abnormally dry.
Moderate drought still persists across the vast majority of Bremer and Black Hawk counties (with the rating period coming before those counties received over 2.5 inches of rain later in the week). The southwest third of Fayette County and southeast quarter of Butler County are also in moderate drought, with the rest of those counties upgraded to abnormally dry.
The eastern quarter of Franklin and eastern third of Cerro Gordo counties are now rated abnormally, with remaining sections now considered drought-free, along with Hardin, Wright and the majority of Hancock counties. The southwest corner of Grundy County is drought-free, the middle two-thirds abnormally dry and the northwest corner in moderate drought.
Rainfall that has helped improve the drought conditions during the latest reporting period include 2.75 inches at Charles City, 2.81 inches at New Hampton and Nashua,, 2.32 inches at Osage, 3.08 inches at Decorah, 2.61 inches at Saint Ansgar, 2.4 inches at Mason City, 2.67 inches at Hampton, and 2.11 inches at the Waterloo Airport.
