DES MOINES, Iowa -- We now know just how dry last month was in Iowa.
"Normally we'd see almost four inches of rain\. We saw about an inch-and-a-half, 1.6 inches for the state--one of the top 20 driest" says Iowa Department of Natural Resorces Hydrology Resources Coordinator Tim Hall
Hall says the National Drought Monitor shows nearly 80 percent of Iowa abnormally dry or in some level of drought.
"Not just dry, but exceptionally dry across the middle and northeastern part of the state--and that's driving lower stream flows" he says.
Hall says he longer Iowa stays abnormally dry, the greater concern about what happens for the rest of spring and summer.
"We're particularly concerned about potential water supply issues in Northwest Iowa, where their options are much more limited for where they can get their water. it's setting up in a way that gives us some real concern," he says.
The five months from April through August bring nearly two-thirds of Iowa's annual rainfall.