DES MOINES — The new year has started colder and drier than normal, as Iowa ended January with an average of 0.68 inches of moisture, and an average temperature of 14.7 degrees, according to the latest Water Summary Update.
Rainfall was 0.29 inches less than normal and the temperature 4.8 degrees below normal. Drought conditions remained steady in January, but deteriorated in early February, with more than 70 percent of the state now in some form of dryness or drought.
"A drier than normal January is not really problematic, since January is normally the driest month of the year. However, the trend toward dryness is not encouraging,” said Tim Hall, DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources. “With the normally wettest months of April to June right around the corner, there is plenty of time for improvement of conditions."
Shallow groundwater conditions remain normal, benefiting from low water demand during the winter months.
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.