Rainfall Brings Much-Needed Drought Relief to Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa

• Recent rainfall has brought much-needed relief to the hardest-hit drought areas in MO, KS, and IA, however, at the same time, drought conditions worsened in ND.
• Although rainfall has improved conditions, drought recovery may be slow in areas that experienced extreme or exceptional drought this summer - particularly where surface water and groundwater was limited.
• Winter is typically the driest season, making autumn a key season for recovery from hydrologic drought.

uarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for June – August 2020.  Dated September 2020.

Temperatures were above normal, particularly in the northern half of the Midwest. For the region, the summer ranked as the 18th warmest in 126 years. Summer precipitation across the region varied considerably. Iowa had its 14th driest summer, while Kentucky recorded its 17th wettest summer.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for September – November 2019.  Dated December 2019.

Temperatures in the region averaged below normal in the upper Midwest and above normal further southeast.  The continued wetness of 2019 persisted into the fall.  Year-to-date precipitation ranked among the top 10 in all nine states, with new records in Wisconsin, and the Midwest.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for June – August 2019.  Dated September 2019.

The Midwest had close-to-normal temperatures for the summer across the entire region. ​Summer precipitation was near normal in the upper two-thirds of the region and above normal in the southern third.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for March – May 2019.  Dated June 2019.

Spring temperatures ranged from several degrees below normal in Minnesota to just above normal in eastern Kentucky. Precipitation was above normal for a large majority of the Midwest.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for December 2018 – February 2019.  Dated March 2019.

Winter temperatures for the 3-month period of December to February ranged from a few degrees below normal in the northwest to a few degrees above normal in the southeast.  Precipitation was well above normal in the Midwest, ranking as the third wettest winter back to 1895.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for March – May 2020.  Dated June 2020.

Spring temperatures averaged very close to normal across the Midwest. Precipitation was below normal in much of Minnesota and Iowa, and above normal for much of the remainder of the Midwest.

The project, Connecting Drought Early Warning to the Decision Making Needs of Specialty Crop Producers in the Midwestern United States, developed a set of decision calendars that provide month-by-month and seasonal advice on how growers manage production of Midwestern apple, grape, cranberry, and irrigated potato crops during drought years. Fact sheets highlighting appropriate drought and climate tools for  monitoring conditions during the growing seasons and beyond are also available.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Great Lakes Region for September – November 2018.  Dated December 2018.

Extreme shifts from unseasonably warm to record cold temperatures occurred this fall season. Autumn precipitation averaged out to be near normal.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for September – November 2018.  Dated December 2018. 

Fall began with a warm September (15th warmest for the Midwest and record warm in Ohio since 1895) with the warmth continuing through early October for the southeastern two thirds of the Midwest.  Precipitation was particularly abundant from Iowa to Wisconsin and in the Ohio River Valley.