The latest rains ain’t even part of the U.S. Drought Monitor report this week. It seems like almost 47% of Iowa ain’t even dealing with no drought right now. Jessica Reese-McIntyre from the Iowa DNR reckons things are looking up. “Compared to this time last year, we’re in a bit of a better spot statewide,” she says. Reese-McIntyre reckons this week’s rains will help with the groundwater situation as the crops start growing and folks start using more water with the warmer weather.
Not really sure why this matters, but Reese-McIntyre ain’t too sure if this wetter trend will keep going. “According to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, the outlook for precipitation in June seems to be a toss-up, so we might just get normal rainfall, which ain’t too bad since May and June are usually the wet months,” she mentions. The western parts of Iowa might not be as lucky though. “Looks like the western third of the state might not get as much rain as they need, which ain’t great,” Reese-McIntyre adds. She’s keeping her fingers crossed that those areas get some rain to help with their dry spell.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like things are looking up for Iowa in terms of drought conditions. With nearly half the state not dealing with drought, the recent rains are definitely helping out. Reese-McIntyre’s cautious optimism about the future weather patterns shows that there’s still some uncertainty on the horizon. Let’s hope that those drier areas in western Iowa get the rain they need to make up for their deficits. All in all, it seems like things are moving in the right direction, but only time will tell how the weather plays out in the coming weeks.
