MADRID, Iowa — After folks across central Iowa picked up anywhere between nothing and three and a half inches of rain late Saturday, there was one collective reaction amongst farmers: Finally.
But for the unlucky ones, the wait continues. The next chance of rain likely comes this weekend, so the very dry May and June rolls on.
"When you're at 40% of normal [rainfall] in June, that's telling you that the precipitation deficits are pretty stark," said Justin Glisan, climatologist for the state of Iowa.
Des Moines has seen just shy of two and a half inches of rain so far in June. May's total rainfall came nearly two inches under the average for the month.
Safe to say, the metro and beyond need a couple good dosings of rain.
"Weather patterns have changed. They used to say June in Iowa was always our wettest month. The last couple of years, we haven't been able to say that," said Morey Hill, a third-generation farmer in Boone County.
"It's one of those things that my grandfather and my father always said; you can talk about it, you can think about it, you can even worry about it... But you can't do anything about it. So, take care of the stuff you can do," Hill added.
"I'll put my order in for an inch of rain a week if that works for you," he added, chuckling.
Even with Iowa in some form of drought for 155 straight weeks (since July 2020), 2021 saw a record crop yield, and 2022 wasn't too far behind.