DES MOINES, Iowa -- Drought conditions have improved in Iowa, but just a little bit.
This week's National Drought Monitor Map shows conditions have improved in far Eastern, Western, and all of Southern Iowa.
"We're not going to reverse that 18-month slide in a week, a month, or in two months. It's a long process to get out of drought," says Iowa Department of Natural Resources Hydrology Resources Coordinator Tim Hall.
This week's map shows continued moderate to severe drought across Northern and Central Iowa.
"The fact that we're not giving up more ground and things aren't getting worse, is in some respects a good sign. It means we can start to turn the corner when we get some more rainfall--and we're not digging ourselves further into a hole," Hall says.
He says Iowa's long-range forecast doesn't show much chance for easing ongoing drought conditions.
"National Weather Service folks are saying over the next seven days we might see a quarter to half-an-inch of rain across some of the state. That's not enough to keep us even current with where we should be," Hall says.
The National Weather Service's six-to-ten day outlook, released earlier this week, shows above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation through the rest of the month.