National Weather Service Text Product Display

Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Des Moines, IA
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DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
726 AM CDT TUE APR 2 2013


...IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUES IN PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL IOWA...


.SYNOPSIS...
PRECIPITATION WAS MORE ROBUST ACROSS PORTIONS OF IOWA DURING THE
MONTH OF MARCH...ESPECIALLY THE EAST HALF OF THE STATE. THE RAIN AND
SNOW ACROSS THE EAST WAS ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH AND HELPED TO
IMPROVE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. HOWEVER...PRECIPITATION IN THE WEST WAS
A BIT MORE SPORADIC WITH PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS BELOW NORMAL...
ESPECIALLY IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST. TEMPERATURES DURING THE MARCH WERE
MUCH COOLER THAN NORMAL...ALLOWING FROST TO REMAIN IN THE GROUND
LONGER THAN USUAL.

.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...

LOCAL AREA AFFECTED.

SEVERE /D2/ TO EXTREME /D3/ DROUGHT CONTINUES ACROSS CENTRAL AND
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF IOWA. THE SEVERE /D2/ DROUGHT AREA IS ROUGHLY
NORTH OF AN ALLISON THROUGH INDIANOLA TO AUDUBON LINE. MEANWHILE...THE
WORST CONDITIONS ARE GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MASON
CITY THROUGH WEBSTER CITY TO DENISON WHERE EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS
EXIST. MODERATE /D1/ DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING SOUTH OF
HIGHWAY 92 IN SOUTHERN IOWA.

SOIL CONDITIONS.

SOIL MOISTURE REMAINS GENERALLY BELOW THE 20TH PERCENTILE IN THE
SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT AREAS. IMPROVEMENT TO THE 50TH PERCENTILE
HAS BEEN OBSERVED MAINLY EAST OF INTERSTATE 35.

RIVER AND STREAM FLOW CONDITIONS.

RIVER FLOWS ARE GENERALLY AT OR BELOW THE 25TH PERCENTILE ACROSS
WESTERN IOWA WITH IMPROVEMENT TO THE 50TH PERCENTILE IN THE EAST.
SOME LOCATIONS IN THE UPPER CEDAR RIVER BASIN ARE CURRENTLY ABOVE THE
75TH PERCENTILE.

FIRE DANGER IMPACTS.

FIRE DANGER WILL BE RELATIVELY HIGH OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO
THE EMERGENCE OF NEW GRASS AND PLANTS. ONCE NEW GROWTH BEGINS...THE
DANGER WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE INTO THE GROWING SEASON.

.WATER RESTRICTIONS OR GROUND WATER IMPACTS...

NONE KNOWN.

.PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...

THE UPCOMING OUTLOOK FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS INDICATES TEMPERATURES AT
OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. THE PATTERN LOOKS TO BECOME WETTER WITH
INDICATIONS OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION.

THE THREE MONTH OUTLOOK FOR APRIL THROUGH JUNE CALLS FOR A BETTER CHANCE
OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. INDICATIONS ARE FOR A BETTER CHANCE OF
ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS MUCH OF IOWA. THEREFORE...
ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL BE QUITE POSSIBLE
AS THE SPRING CONTINUES.

.HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...

WITH ADDITIONAL RAINFALL EXPECTED IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS...RIVERS SHOULD MAINTAIN OR EVEN INCREASE THEIR FLOWS.

.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED IN LATE APRIL.

&&

.RELATED WEB SITES /ALL LOWER CASE LETTERS/...

LOCAL WEATHER...CLIMATE AND WATER INFORMATION -
   HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES

DROUGHT MONITOR AND INFORMATION -
   HTTP://WWW.DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU/MONITOR.HTML

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE -
HTTP://WWW.EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/AG/DROUGHT-INFORMATION

IOWA ENVIRONMENTAL MESONET -
   HTTP://MESONET.AGRON.IASTATE.EDU

ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION -
   USGS - HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/
   COE  - HTTP://WWW.RIVERGAGES.COM/

CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER -
   HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/

.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...

THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING NOAA/S
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE
USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE NATIONAL
DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN
GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...STATE COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION SERVICES...USDA...COE AND USGS.

.QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS...

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION
PLEASE CONTACT:

   CRAIG COGIL
   CLIMATE SERVICES FOCAL POINT
   NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
   JOHNSTON...IA 50131
   EMAIL: CRAIG.COGIL@NOAA.GOV

$$
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
