State: Western third of Iowa dry, eight counties in drought

Iowa’s strong corn-growing season is being tested in eight west-central counties that are facing drought, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported.

The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that about the western one-third of Iowa is abnormally dry. Northeast Iowa, on the other hand, is wet.

Iowa had 4.85 inches of rain in June. That was in 0.17 inches less than the 30-year average. The western part of the state, though, is four inches short of normal rainfall. Parts of eastern Iowa have two to six inches of extra moisture, thanks is part to the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal.

“June saw low rainfall amounts in western Iowa and is causing concern about growing drought conditions. Unfortunately, the western part of Iowa tends to be where groundwater supplies are the most vulnerable, so we will be watching those areas carefully,” Tim Hall, DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources, said in a statement.

The state had warmer than normal conditions during June with an average temperature of 72.9 degrees, 3.2 degrees below normal. That tied 1954 and 2005 for 18th-warmest June on record.