OTTUMWA —
Drought conditions continued to ease in the past week for Iowa, though the state remains a very long way from being back to normal.
Southeastern Iowa showed the biggest improvement, with large areas falling out of the extreme drought category. The percentage of Iowa under extreme drought retreated from 67 percent to 58 percent, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The rest of the state is considered to be in severe drought.
Marion, Mahaska, Keokuk and Jefferson counties are now entirely free of extreme drought conditions. Wapello County saw the area considered extreme drought retreat, though about a third of the county remains in that category. Half of Monroe and all of Appanoose, Davis and Van Buren counties are still considered to have severe drought.
Iowa has seen rains return, though not in the volume needed to break the drought. This weekend will likely see more rain in southeast Iowa. The remnants of Hurricane Isaac are expected to track north from Louisiana through Arkansas and into Missouri before turning northeast, bringing the area a wet weekend.
The impact of Isaac's rainfall could be substantial, as it is expected to fall in many of the areas hardest hit by the drought.
CNHI/Southeast Iowa
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Drought eases in southeast Iowa
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