Drought Information Statement for Central Iowa 
Valid November, 2, 2023
Issued By:  NWS Des Moines
Contact Information:  nws.desmoines@noaa.gov
This product will be updated December,1, 2023 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly.  
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/DMX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements.  

U.S. Drought Monitor
Drought conditions improved in potions of northwest and eastern Iowa.  The south remained mostly unchanged. 

Drought intensity and Extent
D3 (Extreme Drought):  Portions of Eastern Iowa.
D2 (Severe Drought): Surrounds the D3 area and extends across much of Southern into West Central Iowa.
D1 (Moderate Drought) and D0 (Abnormally Dry):  The rest of the state not already covered by D2, D3  or D4 conditions.

Recent Precipitation
30-day precipitation totals remained well above normal in northwest Iowa and portions of the east.  The largest deficits remain across the southern half of Iowa, particularly the southwest.   

Summary of Impacts

Hydrologic Impacts 
Many river basins across eastern and southern Iowa are at flows far below normal.  Additional information from the USGS may be found at: https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/en/?region=lower48&aoi=default

Agricultural Impacts
USDA Iowa Crop Progress and Condition reports may be found at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Iowa/Publications/Crop_Progress_&_Condition/

Fire Hazard Impacts
A few burn bans remain in effect, mainly in west central Iowa. Impacts may lessen somewhat as harvest winds down.

Other Impacts
Most of Iowa is experiencing drought conditions and low streamflows.  Conditions are expected to persist into the early winter.  

Additional Information
For additional information or to report your drought impacts, please visit the NWS Des Moines Drought Decision Support page at: https://www.weather.gov/dmx/dssdrought

Seven Day Precipitation Forecast
Dry conditions are expected for the upcoming weekend (Nov. 4-5) with some scattered light precipitation into next week.  

Near Term Outlook
The 8 to 14 day outlook indicates a better chance of above normal temperatures across Iowa with near normal to above normal precipitation during that time.   

Drought Outlook
Drought conditions are expected to persist  across Iowa through the end of November.