Drought Information Statement for Central Iowa 
Valid May, 16, 2024
Issued By: NWS Des Moines
Contact Information: nws.desmoines@noaa.gov
This product will be updated June, 14, 2024 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly.  
Despite the improvement, severe drought conditions persist in portions of northeast, north central back into central Iowa.
Additional upcoming rainfall may help to continue to alleviate drought across the state. 

U.S. Drought Monitor
Improvement continued for portions of western and central Iowa given recent rainfall.  

Drought intensity and Extent
D2 (Severe Drought): These conditions persist over portions of north central, northeast back into central Iowa. 
D1 (Moderate Drought): Closely surrounds the severe drought.
D0: (Abnormally Dry): Extends back westward from the severe and moderate drought areas to west central Iowa.  

Precipitation
30-Day precipitation across Iowa has been relatively generous with most locations seeing 4 to 8 inches of rainfall. These amounts range from 100 to 250% above normal for this 30-Day period.

Summary of Impacts

Hydrologic Impacts: There has been much improvement across all river basins in the state over the past month given the generous rainfall.
Most basins across the state are running at or above normal for this time of year.  

Agricultural Impacts:  There are no known impacts at this time. 

Fire Hazard Impacts:  One burn ban remains in effect in far western Iowa. 

Other Impacts: There are no other impacts known impacts at this time.

Mitigation Actions:  None reported.  For additional information or to report your drought impacts, please visit the NWS Des Moines Drought Decision Support page here.


Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts:
Recent rainfall has led to the recovery of river basins across Iowa.  All basins within the state are either at or above normal flow for this time of year.  

Seven Day Precipitation Forecast: Rainfall over the next week appears to remain at or above normal with several system affecting the state of Iowa.
In general, the state is expected to receive from 1 to 2 inches over the next 7 days (thru May 23) with locally higher amounts.  

Drought Outlook: Improvements are expected to persist over much of Iowa as rainfall continues into the upcoming weeks.