The area considered to be in extreme drought in northeast Iowa is shrinking, but not for Floyd and Chickasaw counties.
According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Iowa, based on precipitation through 7 am Tuesday, April 16th, all of Floyd County and the vast majority of Chickasaw County remain in D3 or extreme drought. Also still in extreme drought: over three-quarters of Bremer County, eastern third of Fayette County, the southern third of Mitchell County, southwest third of Howard County, and eastern third of Cerro Gordo.Â
Small northern segments of Butler and Franklin counties and the northern and southern ends of Black Hawk County are also still in extreme drought. Much of the rest of the region is still in the D2/severe drought category.
The areas of extreme drought could see improvements in next week’s drought map, with much of the region seeing two-inches or more of rainfall since the last reporting period ended at 7 am Tuesday.
According to the National Weather Service in La Crosse, from April 1, 2023, through April 16, 2024, the driest areas in northeast Iowa have seen precipitation deficits that range from 13.42″ near Ionia to 19.25″ at Charles City.Â
