DES MOINES -- Iowa’s Water Year, which covers Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024, was the first with above-normal precipitation since 2019, and saw the end of the four year drought in Iowa, according to the latest Water Summary Update. However, a record breaking dry September is raising concerns for 2025.
Precipitation for the last water year was 36 inches, or 0.38 inches above normal, with increased rainfall numbers beginning in October 2023 through July of this year.
Since then, precipitation has dropped to below normal levels. September’s preliminary statewide precipitation was 0.72 inches, which is the driest September on record for the state. Statewide temperatures for the month came in at 67.0 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) shows nearly all of Iowa in abnormally dry conditions or drought conditions, with portions of Monona and Harrison counties in western Iowa showing severe drought. This is the first time since May that any area of the state has carried a severe drought designation.
“The record dry September has impacted conditions in Iowa, although the last year has been a good one. The four-year drought ended in June of this year, which is a reflection of the wetter than normal conditions that started in October of last year. The Iowa Drought Plan rates statewide drought conditions as normal, although after the month of September indicators show the potential for worsening conditions. Monthly rainfall normally drops during the fall months, so it is very important that we get normal precipitation through the fall and into the winter months,” said Tim Hall, the DNR’s Hydrology Resources Coordinator. “Rainfall in Iowa over the next few months will help get next year off to a good start, but if conditions remain dry, we could have challenges going into 2025.”
For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, visit
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.