According to the latest Iowa Water Summary Update, the 2022 water year ended with deteriorating conditions. The so-called “water year” begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30. Overall precipitation for the state was 6.04 inches below average at 29.51 inches. September ended with 85 percent of Iowa experiencing some form of dryness and 25 percent in moderate to severe drought. Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Hydrology Coordinator Tim Hall says, “Conditions were improving as the state moved from spring into early summer, but since then, things have gotten gradually worse. September marked the sixth month in a row of below-normal precipitation. A repeat of last October’s above-normal rainfall would help to turn things around for the state, and we are certainly hoping for that to happen.” The 2022 water year was the third consecutive year for Iowa with below-normal precipitation. The Iowa Water Summary Update is prepared monthly by staff from the DNR, Iowa Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, and others. The full dataset is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.
