DNR News Releases

Search for a News Release

Press/Media inquiries: PIO@dnr.iowa.gov

DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: water summary updateReturn

Water Summary Update: Normal November rainfall, drought conditions remain

• 12/9/2022 1:34:00 PM
• View Count 5117

DES MOINES — The month of November ended with much of northwestern Iowa receiving below normal precipitation and southeastern Iowa observing above average totals.

Water Summary Update: October 2022 was 15th driest on record

• 11/10/2022 2:24:00 PM
• View Count 3397

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.

Water Summary Update: Water Year ends on a downward trend

• 10/6/2022 2:53:00 PM
• View Count 2307

DES MOINES - After yet another month of below normal precipitation across the state, the water year ended with deteriorating conditions across Iowa, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Drought expands in Iowa after another dry month

• 9/8/2022 1:52:00 PM
• View Count 2268

DES MOINES — Iowa’s August precipitation was 3.53 inches, or 0.6 inches below normal for the month, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Drought expands in Iowa after another dry month

• 8/4/2022 4:42:00 PM
• View Count 3118

Des Moines - Iowa’s July precipitation was 3.39 inches, or 0.78 inches below normal for the month, according to the latest Water Summary Update. Some locations in southern Iowa had July rainfall of four inches less than normal.

Water Summary Update: Iowa sees below normal rainfall for third month in a row

• 7/7/2022 11:28:00 AM
• View Count 3453

DES MOINES — Iowa’s June precipitation was 3.75 inches, 1.51 inches below normal for the month, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Some improvement in drought conditions despite below normal May rainfall

• 6/9/2022 2:15:00 PM
• View Count 1497

DES MOINES - Iowa’s precipitation in May was 3.46 inches, 1.38 inches below normal for the month, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Near-average April rains help drought conditions improve

• 5/5/2022 2:57:00 PM
• View Count 683

DES MOINES — Precipitation for April averaged 3.20 inches, about a half inch below normal. The near-normal rainfall helped to continue improvement of drought conditions in Iowa, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Drought conditions improve with March rainfall

• 4/7/2022 11:57:00 AM
• View Count 665

DES MOINES — Precipitation for March averaged 2.67 inches, almost a half inch above normal. This above-normal rainfall helped to improve drought conditions across many areas of the state, especially in the southern and eastern parts of Iowa, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Extremely dry February leads to drought expansion

• 3/10/2022 2:05:00 PM
• View Count 671

DES MOINES — Last month was the sixth driest February on record for Iowa, and the lack of precipitation resulted in the expansion of drought conditions across the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: 2022 starts with a dry and cold January

• 2/10/2022 4:37:00 PM
• View Count 1086

DES MOINES — The new year has started colder and drier than normal, as Iowa ended January with an average of 0.68 inches of moisture, and an average temperature of 14.7 degrees, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Dry year ends on a wet note - 2021 Water Summary Update

• 1/13/2022 2:29:00 PM
• View Count 648

DES MOINES — Last year was the second dry year in a row for Iowa. Over the previous 24 months parts of central and west central Iowa received a foot less than normal moisture.

Water Summary Update: Despite dry November, drought conditions improve and stabilize

• 12/9/2021 1:17:00 PM
• View Count 997

DES MOINES — After a very wet October, November was drier than normal, but conditions improved over the month. As the state enters winter, conditions have stabilized, according to the most recent Water Summary Update.  

Significant October rainfall improves Iowa drought conditions

• 11/4/2021 12:07:00 PM
• View Count 1317

DES MOINES —This October ranks as one of the top 10 wettest Octobers on record, with rainfall significantly improving drought conditions, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: End of the 2021 Water Year sees continued drought conditions

• 10/7/2021 11:50:00 AM
• View Count 1403

DES MOINES — The end of September brought the 2021 Water Year to a close, and drought conditions have not improved significantly as the state moves into fall.

Water Summary Update: August rainfall brings improvement to drought conditions

• 9/2/2021 2:37:00 PM
• View Count 1199

DES MOINES — August was the first of the summer months to bring above-normal precipitation to the state, providing significant relief to the ongoing drought conditions, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Despite average July rainfall, extreme drought returns to Iowa

• 8/5/2021 1:48:00 PM
• View Count 1182

DES MOINES — Iowa received 3.98 inches of rain in July, slightly less than normal, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Some rain in June, but drought spreads

• 7/8/2021 11:45:00 AM
• View Count 1333

DES MOINES — The month of June saw 3.31 inches of rain in Iowa, almost two inches less than normal. The lower than normal rainfall, combined with warmer than normal temperatures, resulted in an expansion of drought conditions across the state.

Water Summary Update: Recent rainfall should help improve drought conditions

• 6/24/2021 11:42:00 AM
• View Count 2782

DES MOINES —  With seven days remaining in June, Iowa precipitation totals remain 2 inches below normal with nearly the entire state in some form of dryness or drought, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Nearly 90 percent of Iowa experiencing some degree of drought

• 6/10/2021 11:01:00 AM
• View Count 2665

DES MOINES —  Precipitation averaged more than an inch below normal for the month of May, streamflows are dropping, soil moisture is low and shallow groundwater conditions are a concern in several areas of the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

DNR and partners to host free online panel discussion on drought conditions

• 5/13/2021 1:03:00 PM
• View Count 1208

DES MOINES —  The Iowa DNR and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, along with other state and federal partners, will host a free online webinar May 26 to discuss drought conditions in Iowa.

Water Summary Update: Overall drought conditions trending downward in April

• 5/6/2021 3:52:00 PM
• View Count 1266

DES MOINES —  Statewide average precipitation totaled 1.61 inches in April, or 1.9 inches below normal, ranking last month as one of the top 20 driest Aprils in 149 years of statewide records, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Drought conditions improving after rainy, warm March

• 4/8/2021 11:52:00 AM
• View Count 1295

DES MOINES — Drought conditions are improving across the state, thanks to more precipitation than usual during March, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: February 2021 the eighth coldest on record in Iowa

• 3/11/2021 3:06:00 PM
• View Count 1620

DES MOINES — Last month’s polar vortex led to the eighth coldest February in Iowa on record while also tallying below-average precipitation, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: January precipitation, temperatures higher than average

• 2/4/2021 11:44:00 AM
• View Count 1321

DES MOINES — While January is usually the driest month of the year, last month saw above-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures across the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: drought remains following a dry 2020

• 1/14/2021 1:39:00 PM
• View Count 1360

DES MOINES — Drought and abnormally dry conditions remain across Iowa with drought boundaries remaining status quo, following a 2020 that ranked as the 36th driest year on record in Iowa, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: drought in Iowa largely unchanged in a warmer November

• 12/10/2020 12:00:00 PM
• View Count 1700

DES MOINES — With slightly lower than normal precipitation in November, northwest and west central Iowa continue to show signs of significant dryness and drought, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Dry conditions prevail in western Iowa

• 11/12/2020 2:05:00 PM
• View Count 1281

DES MOINES - Rainfall in Iowa was almost an inch below normal in October, averaging 1.66 inches over the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Water Year 2020 ends on a dry note

• 10/8/2020 12:22:00 PM
• View Count 2156

DES MOINES — Iowa’s statewide precipitation was 3.76 inches below normal for the 2020 Water Year, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: August brings drought conditions to nearly entire state

• 9/10/2020 11:59:00 AM
• View Count 2166

DES MOINES — August 2020 was the third driest August in 148 years of statewide records despite the Derecho storm event, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: extreme drought appears in Iowa

• 8/6/2020 1:59:00 PM
• View Count 3320

DES MOINES — For the first time in almost two years, an area of extreme drought exists in Iowa, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: 35 percent of state classified as abnormally dry

• 7/9/2020 1:40:00 PM
• View Count 2439

DES MOINES — Although statewide precipitation was near normal in June, northeast Iowa experienced extra wet conditions while western parts of the state have entered moderate drought, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: May rainfall about normal for Iowa

• 6/4/2020 12:43:00 PM
• View Count 1917

DES MOINES — While rainfall was about normal in May for the state, on average, a wide band across the central part of the state was drier than normal, while the north, south, and eastern edges were wetter, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: April cooler, drier than normal

• 5/14/2020 1:24:00 PM
• View Count 1799

DES MOINES — With average rainfall about 2 inches below normal and temperatures about 2 degrees below normal, April was cooler and drier than usual, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: March sees above-average precipitation in Iowa

• 4/9/2020 1:34:00 PM
• View Count 1986

DES MOINES — Almost all stations across Iowa reported above average precipitation in March, with some locations reporting 2 to 2.5 inches above normal rainfall, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Drier February improves stream levels across Iowa

• 3/5/2020 2:17:00 PM
• View Count 1749

DES MOINES — With a drier February, stream levels have improved across much of the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: January warmer with more rain and snow than usual

• 2/6/2020 12:06:00 PM
• View Count 1969

DES MOINES — Both statewide precipitation and temperatures were above average in January, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Iowa received 6 more inches of rain than usual in 2019

• 1/9/2020 12:37:00 PM
• View Count 2090

DES MOINES — With 41.5 inches of rain falling across Iowa last year, 2019 is now the 12th wettest year on record in the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

Water Summary Update: Cooler, wetter autumn than usual in Iowa

• 12/12/2019 1:13:00 PM
• View Count 1931

DES MOINES — Autumn this year in Iowa has been cooler and wetter than normal, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Last year had above-normal precipitation in Iowa

• 11/21/2019 1:31:00 PM
• View Count 2451

DES MOINES — In the last year, Iowa averaged 42.58 inches of precipitation, 7.31 inches above the statewide 30-year climatological normal, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: Rainy September removes all drought designations from the state

• 10/10/2019 11:58:00 AM
• View Count 1894

DES MOINES — Last month was the 15th wettest September on record for Iowa, removing all drought designations from the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: below-normal summer rainfall leading to drought conditions in Iowa

• 9/5/2019 11:58:00 AM
• View Count 2281

DES MOINES — For the first time in a year, there are areas of Iowa where groundwater conditions are beginning to show stress, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: below normal July rainfall has part of state headed toward drought conditions

• 8/8/2019 12:00:00 PM
• View Count 2022

DES MOINES — A second consecutive month of below normal precipitation has about 36 percent of the state rated as abnormally dry, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Water Summary Update: June rainfall an inch below normal

• 7/11/2019 1:42:00 PM
• View Count 2155

DES MOINES — After higher amounts of rainfall in May, June rainfall in Iowa was 3.86 inches, or more than an inch below normal for the month, according to the latest Water Summary Update. June is typically the wettest month of the year in Iowa.

Water Summary Update: May the sixth wettest on record in Iowa

• 6/13/2019 10:59:00 AM
• View Count 2078

DES MOINES — Since last June, Iowa has seen its wettest 12-month stretch on record, with this May being the sixth wettest on record, according to the latest Water Summary Update. 

Page 1 of 2 FirstPrevious [1]2 NextLast