DES MOINES, Iowa -- Drought conditions are getting worse in Iowa.
"A swath across Northern and Northeast Iowa went from abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions. There's some areas in the southeast part of the state the crept into abnormal dryness." says Iowa Department of Natural Resources Hydrology Resources Coordinator Tim Hall.
He says the latest national Drought Monitor Map for Iowa shows the same 10 Central and West Central Iowa counties in extreme drought--eight to 10 inches below normal rainfall.
"We don't want to see any more area of the state added to any level of drought We certainly want to watch the worst part of it--to see if that's maintaining. That hasn't changed from week-to-week--that hasn't expanded--so that's good news" Hall says.
He says time is running out for Iowa to reverse expanding drought conditions. Hall says the state's rainiest months are May, June, July, and August.
"By the time we get to November, we're only down to two inches of rain a month on average. With our wettest months behind us, it becomes increasingly difficult to try to get significant extra rainfall to dig us out of this hole" he says.
Hall says they're hoping a more-active tropical storm and hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico could mean some much-needed rain for Iowa this fall.