(DES MOINES, Iowa) State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says a large part of southern and eastern Iowa very dry right now, continuing last year's dry trend. He notes, it's a waiting game now, until the ground thaws, but he says these areas highlighted in on this week's U.S. Drought Monitor could benefit greatly from a rainy spring.
Hillaker says dry conditions affecting many states south and west of Iowa are stretching into Iowa.
He says January 2018 in Iowa featured below normal snow fall, at about four inches statewide, but above normal rainfall. Temperatures were extremely cold at the start of the month, (the coldest day was -28, the warmest day around 60-degrees (in Ottumwa).