As of this (Monday) morning, all of the counties in the Carroll Broadcasting listening area have been classified by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having entered moderate drought conditions (D1). Since last week, the number of counties in extremely dry to severe drought conditions has risen by almost 27 percent. At the moderate drought stage, soybeans begin to abort pods and corn test weights struggle while grasses brown and more grass fires occur. Water levels in ponds are declining as well. The southern portion of the state remains classified as either abnormally dry or with no impact while the extreme northwestern corner has entered severe drought conditions with a D2 classification. Forecasters are expressing concerns that this week’s abnormally warm temperatures and a lack of precipitation in the long-term outlook may create worsening drought conditions across Iowa and the rest of the Midwest. The state and national summary of conditions from the Drought Monitor can be found by following the link included below.
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U.S. Drought Monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?IA
