It's probability, not magnitude. 70% likelihood of above normal, below normal, etc.Assuming they're looking at highs. 70% of 31 is about 22, so high of 53. Not exactly crazy when you put it that way.
It's probability, not magnitude. 70% likelihood of above normal, below normal, etc.Assuming they're looking at highs. 70% of 31 is about 22, so high of 53. Not exactly crazy when you put it that way.
Ice interference with the gauge, combination of cold enough nights and low enough stream flow means there's enough ice that you aren't getting a true read so the data is discarded. Northern Iowa is in the same boat as the other areas though, very low stream flows.That map shows nothing for the north 40% of the state. All unranked basically.
I remember 2012 very well. My job is affected by drought and I didn't work much in the field that summer because It was extremely dry, but we had not been experiencing the years long below normal rainfall totals we are in right now. Saying it will take years to recover may be a stretch, but a couple of wet months is not going to do it either. It will need to be an extremely wet year to pull out of the long term affects we are seeing in the state right now or a couple of years of above normal rainfall. Hopefully we get that soon.For those who say it will take a couple years to get us to "normal". Here is a couple maps from a decade ago. Notice the drought was MUCH more severe than we have now. Lakes were down excessively.
Apparantly I didn't get the links done right, but click on the link and look at December 4th 2012 (just picked a similar time of year as today for that year) and then the second was supposed to be June 4th 2013 (just went 6 months forward)
For my area of North Iowa, lakes are close to their normal rates, streams are in average territory, they are still flowing (closest to me flows north) and tile lines are running. In 2012, we had huge cracks in the ground and had very little rain. This year, we had crop problems due to wind because of May/june rains being so heavy that roots didn’t go down. I had to replant and I hadn't done that for many years.I remember 2012 very well. My job is affected by drought and I didn't work much in the field that summer because It was extremely dry, but we had not been experiencing the years long below normal rainfall totals we are in right now. Saying it will take years to recover may be a stretch, but a couple of wet months is not going to do it either. It will need to be an extremely wet year to pull out of the long term affects we are seeing in the state right now or a couple of years of above normal rainfall. Hopefully we get that soon.
Go a little bit east of Mason City (Osage area) and nothing is at normal levels. We had all sorts of creeks drying straight up this summer and they haven't been restockedFor my area of North Iowa, lakes are close to their normal rates, streams are in average territory, they are still flowing (closest to me flows north) and tile lines are running. In 2012, we had huge cracks in the ground and had very little rain. This year, we had crop problems due to wind because of May/june rains being so heavy that roots didn’t go down. I had to replant and I hadn't done that for many years.
How does it compare to 12? Were your yields off? It was spotty here but in average it was similar to last year.Go a little bit east of Mason City (Osage area) and nothing is at normal levels. We had all sorts of creeks drying straight up this summer and they haven't been restocked
Similar to '12. Corn yield down 22%, bean yield down 13% from last year.How does it compare to 12? Were your yields off? It was spotty here but in average it was similar to last year.
I just find it strange that we've had other years where we were in a similar drought condition, and my yard was dead brown and had huge cracks in it. No idea how long of a timeline they keep tracking deficits though.
Probably because the exact spot of your quarter acre lawn isn't representative of the amount of area the drought monitor is attempting to reflect. Rains have been extremely spotty the past couple of years. In many cases, a distance of a mile could be a difference of four to five inches annual rainfall pretty easily.
Vegetation is a short term response to rainfall and local variability plays a part as well. Same with tile line flow. We have had below average rainfall totals for over 3 years now. That has significant long term impacts.
This. I work in Johnston and live on the south side of DSM. We can easily see 3" snow variance between the two locations. We'll have no rain at the office and plenty at home, etc. My lawn was doing fantastic due to the wet spring but when the calendar flipped to June it was really struggling. I let it go dormant once in July but had to water frequently through the fall to help it build up before winter. Same with the landscaping. Had to water throughout the summer to keep it from burning up. The lavender was the only plant that really thrived this year...it was perfect for those!Yep just came here to echo that point location conditions can vary drastically and are not indicative of broader scale conditions. You might have just been lucky with timely and heavier rainfalls than the majority of the surrounding area. But drought is a more of a long term issue. You might be 15" below normal yearly rainfall and everything is dead. Then you get a 3" rain one day and everything greens up a few days later. That doesn't mean you're still not in a drought, you're still 12" below normal and groundwater will be lower than normal.
I believe some tornadoes in northern IA/southern MN occurred with a little snow still on the ground. It also is the only December day in MN history with a recorded tornado. And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that the same day as the high end EF4 that struck Mayfield, KY? It was a wild storm system
Yep just came here to echo that point location conditions can vary drastically and are not indicative of broader scale conditions. You might have just been lucky with timely and heavier rainfalls than the majority of the surrounding area. But drought is a more of a long term issue. You might be 15" below normal yearly rainfall and everything is dead. Then you get a 3" rain one day and everything greens up a few days later. That doesn't mean you're still not in a drought, you're still 12" below normal and groundwater will be lower than normal.
Meanwhile, ethanol production and data centers are consuming water at a record pace. Biggest users by far in Iowa.Osceola's water source (nearby lake) is so low that residents are being told to drink bottled water. Probably time to send in the Guard with supplies.