116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Eastern Iowa counties officially out of drought status
Recent rains have brought an official end to drought conditions in the southeast portion of Iowa, but western Iowa still remains in extreme drought conditions.
The weekly USDA drought monitor shows 16 percent of Iowa, including all of Linn, Johnson and Dubuque counties, are now out of drought conditions. That's up from less than 7 percent of the state last week.
Meanwhile, 20 percent of the state, mostly in northwest Iowa, remain in extreme drought conditions. The 20-percent figure is still a stark contrast to where Iowa was in September, when 65 percent of the state was in extreme drought conditions.
Iowa's drought monitor can be viewed here.
Ducks walk on the sidewalk near the Pappajohn Business Building while taking a break from digging in shallow puddles as students pass between classes at the University of Iowa on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, in Iowa City. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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