:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/B2P6VRRBRFEN3HSDVDMFYPJNBM.jpeg)
Last Thursday, Clarke County received a dosing of rain in the morning hours that caused areas of flash flooding to occur. The East Lake weather station reported 0.96 inches of rain the night of Aug. 6, with 3.85 inches recorded the mid-morning Aug. 7.
A U.S. Drought Monitor Water Summary Update for Iowa prepared Aug. 5 and released Aug. 7 ahead of the state’s storms reported that above-normal precipitation for July had improved drought conditions throughout the state. Every county but two now show an intensity of “none,” while Mills and Fremont counties have small portions near the Nebraska border labeled as abnormally dry, making up less than 1% of Iowa counties.
July ranked as the second-wettest July in 153 of records, falling behind July 1993 whose Great Flood had about one and a half inches on 2025. Statewide precipitation came in at 9.20 inches, which is 4.83 inches above normal. The East Lake weather station showed 10.86 inches of rain in July. Statewide, the average temperate for July was 75.4 degree, just two degrees above normal with Eastern Iowa having the warmest conditions. Clarke County’s average temperature was 76.7 degrees.
Looking at the current month, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center indicates that warmer air holding more moisture could increase concerns for the return of drought conditions if the state has below-normal rainfall.
“Due to above-normal precipitation in July and into early August, drought and abnormally dry conditions significantly improved across Iowa. Drought watch designations for Western and Southern Iowa have been removed. The latest seasonal outlooks indicate potential for no drought for most of the state, except a small pocket along the Missouri River in southwestern will likely see dry conditions continue,” DNR Environmental Specialist Jessica Reese McIntyre said.
Water summary updates can be viewed online at: iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate. The report is prepared by technical staff from Iowa DNR, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, and the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.