Harvest season is underway in Iowa with drought conditions ranging from severe to extreme, and forecasts show those conditions will likely continue well into winter. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, Director of the USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says there are a few benefits to the dry weather, like how the tractors aren’t getting mired in mud.
Todey says the soil continues to dry out and dry deeper across wide sections of Iowa.
Todey says there are a number of harvest time hazards for farmers and passing motorists due to the dry conditions.
For the month, the Forest City area is 1.25 inches below normal for precipitation. Last month, the area was 2.39 inches below normal. July came up short as well by 1.57 inches.
Many locations in Iowa are now showing six-to-eight-inch precipitation deficits for the year.
