OTTUMWA —
How bad has this year's drought been? Iowa has received widespread rain for a couple weeks in a row, and the conditions continue to deteriorate.
What had been three distinct areas of extreme drought in Iowa have now linked up, creating a wide swath that covers the majority of the state. As recently as last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed extreme drought in pockets of southeast Iowa, east-central Iowa and far northwestern Iowa.
Now, the map shows a band that includes nearly 70 percent of the state. Large sections on the eastern and western sides of the state are connected by a smaller band in central Iowa. A strip in northern Iowa and a smaller patch in south-central Iowa remain in severe drought conditions.
Conditions could hardly be more different from those a year ago, when most of the state had sufficient moisture.
The picture regionally isn't much better. The U.S. Drought Monitor groups Iowa with eight other states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. Only one of those states, Minnesota, has enough moisture in most of its territory.
By contrast, areas of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana have all graduated to exceptional drought conditions, the highest level of drought.
CNHI/Southeast Iowa
Related Photos
Rains fall, but drought steamrolls ahead
- CNHI/Southeast Iowa
-
-
Kia Optima is a hit with the buying public
When it comes to midsized family sedans, the Kia Optima ranks high on my list for its good looks, economy and value.
-
The story behind the viral deer on a bus video
The way bus driver John Porter tells it, some of his co-workers now call him “John Deer.”
-
Identity-theft victim jailed on culprit’s warrant
Kurt Millard spent most of last weekend in jail, locked up on another man’s arrest warrant. The 26-year-old resident of Joplin, Mo. could not convince his jailers they had the wrong guy.
-
SLIDESHOW: Texas storms damage homes, uproot trees
After a series of tornadoes touched down outside Dallas, residents of many Texas communities are cleaning up.
-
Life and Times
-
VIDEO: Man hands out Abercrombie clothes on Skid Row in bid to shame brand
Anger has mounted online against clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch due to comments made by its chief executive and its strategy of not making women's clothing in any size above large.
-
Feces contaminates 58 percent of public swimming pools
Human feces taints more than half of public swimming pools, a finding U.S. health officials are using to urge better personal hygiene as the summer months approach.
-
VIDEO: Bombing suspect allegedly wrote confession in boat
Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev allegedly penned a note inside the boat where he was found hiding from authorities, explaining his rationale for his part in the deadly explosion.
-
MAP: Tornadoes carve across North Texas communities
As many as 10 tornadoes touched down soouthwest of Dallas, Texas on Wednesday.
-
Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
- More CNHI/Southeast Iowa Headlines
-
