DES MOINES — The month of October ended as the 15th driest on record, with a deficit of 1.80 inches of rainfall. This marks the seventh month in a row of below-normal rainfall for the state. A wet weekend in early November helped alleviate some drought, but most of the state is still designated as abnormally dry or in some form of drought. Northwest Iowa remains the driest and most challenging part of the state for water resources in 2022.
“The wet October of 2021 was not repeated this year, so unfortunately the state slipped further into drought during October 2022. Nine of the ten months this year have been below normal for rainfall, with only limited improvement seen in the last week,” said Tim Hall, Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ coordinator of hydrology resources. “Wetter conditions are needed to help replenish soil moisture, shallow groundwater, and surface water as we head into 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.