DES MOINES — After a warm May, Iowa experienced a wet and warm June for most of the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.
June 2018 was the 10th wettest June on record, with Iowa receiving an average of 7.53 inches of rainfall, 2.53 inches above the 30-year average. June was also the 10th warmest on record, following the third warmest May. Streamflows range from much above normal across much of northern Iowa to much below normal in southeast Iowa.
"The pattern of a wetter northern Iowa and a drier southern Iowa continues, however, with portions of southeast Iowa now classified as severe drought. These conditions have persisted for about two years, and it will take several months of normal or above normal rainfall for that part of the state to improve," said Tim Hall, DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources.
For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, go to www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.
The report is prepared by technical staff from Iowa DNR, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, and the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.