DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Even though it seems it's been a snowy winter, a new report says Iowa is below normal for precipitation this year.
An Iowa Department of Natural Resources update on the state's water resources says the state received an average of 2.2 inches instead of the normal 2.6 inches of precipitation between January 1st and March 12th.
The wettest area of the state is extreme southeast Iowa which has received 5 inches, and the driest areas are portions of the I-29 corridor in western Iowa when only about an inch has been measured.
Stream flows are normal except in the Iowa River watersheds, which are above normal.
The area of extreme drought in Iowa is now 7 percent of the state down from 20 percent at the beginning of the year.
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