Articles Tagged: Drought

Despite having a wetter-than-average July due to more rainfall, Iowa’s dry autumn conditions have let drought conditions creep back into parts of the state.

Nitrate concentrations, exacerbated by a wet spring that followed years of dry conditions, reached near record highs in Iowa rivers this summer.

Dozens of metrics are used to determine drought, which can make it complicated to measure and track. The new government dashboard makes it easier to track drought across the Mississippi River Basin.

Across major corn-growing states, climate change is fueling conditions that make watching the corn grow a nail-biter for farmers. Factors like consistently high summer overnight temperatures, droughts and heavier-than-usual rains at the wrong time can all disrupt the plants’ pollination.

Government data, collected by the Iowa Environmental Council, shows some parts of Iowa are at higher risk of seeing wildfires — and they could see that risk increase in times of drought. What is the risk? And how can Iowans mitigate it?

Significant rainfall this month has continued to deplete drought conditions across Iowa. On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported nearly 96 percent of the state is without any drought or abnormally dry conditions.

This year, Iowa is seeing an increase in fireflies, but the species’ future remains uncertain. There are more than 200 firefly — or lightning bug — species across North America and over 2,000 worldwide, but scientists say the firefly population has been declining for decades due to factors such as habitat loss, pesticides and droughts.

As cities, farmers and businesses plan for an uncertain future, researchers are attempting to determine how much weather history should be included when we’re assessing what constitutes drought.

Iowa’s silver maples and silver maple hybrids produced a surplus of seeds this year, likely as a response to several years of drought, said Mark Vitosh, Iowa Department of Natural Resources district forester covering seven Eastern Iowa counties.

Heavy rain in April led to long planting delays, but conditions were ripe this week for significant progress. Farmers have less than two weeks to plant or face yield declines.

A line of storms is expected to move through Eastern Iowa Friday. Despite that, experts say dry soil and lower water levels in the state’s rivers and streams should mitigate any flood risks and runoff.

More snow on the way to Eastern Iowa on Friday and Saturday.

Between Oct. 29 and Nov. 7, severe drought conditions dropped by 37.9 percent, according to Thursday’s Drought Monitor,

Programs that provide drought relief to farmers use the U.S. Drought Monitor to determine eligibility, but some experts say the monitor doesn’t always capture local conditions accurately.

The state previously had been ‘drought-free’ since May after four years of at least some drought conditions.