Iowa is moving into the fall months with lessening drought conditions, and the state has just ended the fifth hottest year in recorded history.
The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal drought outlook released Thursday forecasts that remaining drought conditions in western Iowa are likely to be removed by the end of December.
The center also projects that the entire state will remain drought-free as the winter goes on.
That improvement is because Iowa just experienced the fourth-wettest September on record, which delivered an average of 7.8 inches of rainfall across the state, which is nearly 4.4 inches above the normal amount. .
In other stats from the latest Water Summary Update by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the state’s water year ended with a statewide precipitation surplus, for the third consecutive year.
The 2026 Iowa Water Year, which covered the 12 months through September 30, 2026, concluded with a statewide precipitation surplus of 2.82 inches.
During the full 12-month water year, precipitation reached 38.37 inches, making it the 20th-wettest year on record.
Additionally, the annual average temperature was 51.3 degrees, which is 3.1 degrees above normal, marking it as the fifth-warmest water year recorded.
According to Iowa’s Drought Plan, conditions improved across all five drought regions.
