Entire Region Still Rated in Moderate Drought (Rain, Snow After Reporting Period Cutoff)
North central and northeast Iowa remain in moderate drought in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Iowa, with most precipitation this week coming after the reporting period closed.
Based on precipitation through 7 am Tuesday, March 4th, all of Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Hancock, Hardin, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth counties are still rated D1 for moderate drought.
Almost the northern two-thirds of Iowa is rated in moderate drought, with the southern third of the state rated either D0 for abnormally dry or drought-free.
A small pocket of D2/severe drought exists across sections of Sioux, Plymouth and Woodbury counties in northwest Iowa.
The Drought Monitor could change next week after much of the region received over an inch of precipitation from Tuesday night into Wednesday (03.05), including about one-and-a-half inches for Charles City, Osage, Nashua, Elkader and Saint Ansgar.
About one-and-a-third inch of precipitation was recorded in New Hampton, Waukon, Decorah, Waucoma, Grundy Center, and Mason City. Just over an inch was reported at Fayette and Waterloo, with just under an inch of precip at Oelwein and Forest City.
