DES MOINES, Iowa -- Drought conditions in Iowa are largely unchanged this week, despite thunderstorms that brought some heavy rain earlier this week.
"There was a rainstorm that hit way up in Northwest Iowa--a very small area actually got about two inches of rain. At the same time, Eastern Iowa got absolutely no rain" says Iowa Department of Natural Resources Hydrology Resources Coordinator Tim Hall.
With more than 70 percent of Iowa still in some level of drought, he says the state needs some rain or snow--especially before the ground freezes.
"There are still areas of the state that are a foot or more behind in rain. Anything we get is going to help us now, and it'll help us going into spring of next year" Hall says.
This week's National Drought Monitor Map for Iowa shows abnormally dry conditions are creeping back into Southeast Iowa, while Eastern Iowa remains mostly drought-free.
The map still shows an area of extreme drought in the northwest corner of Iowa.