Back so soon? After summer respite, drought returns to portions of Iowa

Drought, Iowa’s unwelcome visitor, is creeping back into the corners of the state after a respite through the summer months.

The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, posted Thursday, shows moderate drought in Fremont County in far southwest Iowa and in almost all of Clayton County as well as portions of Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette, Dubuque, Chickasaw and Bremer counties in northeast Iowa.

Meanwhile, after a warm, dry spell that has endured since mid-August, the rest of Iowa is abnormally dry, the Drought Monitor shows.

Rain coming, but more dry air follows

Even with rain expected in the short term, National Weather Service Meteorologist Craig Cogil said the outlook “dries out again” once it passes.

Iowa drought respite was brief

Iowa was drought-free for the first time in almost four years at the end of May. The state had been experiencing drought conditions since July 7, 2020, making it the longest drought since 1954-1959. 

Additional rain came in June and July, at times too much, resulting in record flooding in northwest Iowa in late June.

Long-term deficit aids drought’s quick return

Cogil said the quick return of drought was aided by a long-term deficit of soil moisture. Since Jan. 1, 2020, he said, the southwest two-thirds of Iowa has experienced a 20-to-30-inch deficit in precipitation.

“Things get worse quicker than they normally would when we are already low on soil moisture,” he said.

However, drought conditions now should not affect this year’s harvest, and the lack of precipitation will be less of a concern going into the winter when soils freeze, he said.

“But if dry conditions persist into spring and summer, that would be a concern,” he said.

Crops OK, but pasture could be a concern for farmers

Aaron Sqaeugling, an Iowa State University Extension field agronomist for southwest Iowa, acknowledged that conditions are dry in his area, but this late in the season, the biggest impact is on pastures needed to graze livestock.

As for corn and soybeans, the dry conditions may somewhat reduce the predicted record yields, but should provide for an “early and fast harvest” with little need for extra drying, Sqaeugling said.

On the positive side for livestock producers, he said the abundance of rain through the growing season provided for better-than-normal hay crops.

“The one thing we may be short of is fall pasture,” he said.

Water utility takes step to ensure supply

As of Sept, 11, Des Moines Water Works had raised flashboards on its Raccoon River dam to increase water depth around its intakes there, according to a posting on its Facebook page.

Winter could limit further moisture loss

Once the crops are in and colder winter air arrives, evaporation will be reduced considerably and could limit further moisture losses, Cogil said.

“There has been a long-term shortage of precipitation since 2020, but we did get a nice break earlier this summer,” he said.

Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.