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2025 vs 1993 Soil Moisture

04 Aug 2025 05:30 AM
The past few IEM Daily Features have been looking into differences between July 1993 and 2025. July of both years had tremendous amounts of rain for Iowa, but the resulting flooding was much different. Today's featured chart likely best explains why. The chart uses a grid point sample of one meter depth soil moisture estimates from the ERA5-Land reanalysis. This plotted grid point sample is for Boone, which is upstream from Des Moines. The period of record range is plotted along with some simple statistical measures. Of most relevance are the yearly values for 2025 (black line) and 1993 (blue line). Soil moisture values during 1993 were much above 2025, which implies more runoff during 1993 as the soil had reduced capacity. The saturated condition of the soil during July 1993 is noticeable as well, with values at the top end of the observed range.

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Tags:   jul1993   jul2025