News
Southern Iowa sees drought expansion
Drought conditions have worsened across the southern portion of Iowa.
State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan tells Brownfield the recent heat wave could impact crop development. “Soybeans are blooming and that will give us an idea of how many pods will set,” he said. “Corn, the ear is starting to fill. When you don’t have moisture and you have these warmer temperatures, you can start to see tip back – or those kernels start to abort near the tip of the corn cob.”
But he says some relief could be on the way. “We do see some rainfall chances in the forecast moving forward,” Glisan said. “Looking out at some of our longer range climate models, those precipitation chances are increasing after a very warm and dry stretch for the state.”
Glisan says the state is in a better position compared to last year.
