DES MOINES, Iowa -- Rainfall in April is doing it's part to ease drought conditions across parts of Iowa.
"The rain we saw over the last couple of weeks has actually come in an area that was well behind in precipitation over the last year or so--from Des Moines up toward Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids," says Iowa Department of Natural Resources Hydrology Resources Coordinator Tim Hall.
He says April could be a big month when it comes to easing a more than year-long drought in Iowa.
"Look back at last year--the month of October pretty much saved us from having a catastrophic drought year. We may very well look back and say April saved us from having a catastrophic drought year in parts of Iowa," Hall says.
Even with the rain that's fallen this month, parts of Western and Northwest Iowa are still showing moderate to severe drought.
"There are areas that are way behind in rainfall going back months, and months, and months. It takes more than a couple of good rain storms to get rid of that," he says.
Hall also says he's optimistic that the wettest time of year in Iowa--the months of April, May, and June--will continue to see consistent rainfall that will continue to ease drought conditions across the state.
Image from the National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln