The featured map presents the combination of seven day precipitation estimates ending on Tuesday and last week's US Drought Monitor analysis. Getting a drought impacting rainfall during January is a bit rare, but it is hard to discount the 1-2 inches that over parts of the state. The updated US Drought Monitor will be released today and will likely show some improvements in the state over these areas. On the other hand, the driest areas of southeastern Iowa again missed out and so the drought situation there continues to get worse. This situation is even more complex during the winter time as drought impacts are difficult to come by and having significant rains on frozen ground can lead to more runoff than soil moisture recharge from the event. Certainly, the situation over southern Iowa warrants close attention as we inch closer to spring and the need for significant precipitation events to help recharge soil moisture for the upcoming growing season.

Voting:
Good = 11
Bad = 2
Abstain = 1