Area counties have been placed under a Drought Watch by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The Drought Watch includes Region 1 on the DNR’s drought regions map. Region 1 includes Cherokee, Ida, and O’Brien counties. Region 4, which consists of counties in western and southwest Iowa, is also under a Drought Watch.
DNR Coordinator of Hydrology Resources Tim Hall says even though it was wetter than normal from November through February, precipitation wasn’t as high in the month of March. Hall says precipitation in March was approximately a half inch below normal, which is impacting stream flows in the affected regions.
A Drought Watch is the least severe of the designations under the state’s new drought plan, but Hall says it should serve as a reminder to pay attention to conditions.
