As we head into a hot, sticky start to June, in eastern and northeastern Iowa it feels we're coming off about 12 straight days of rain. While we did get a fair amount of rain, unfortunately, that doesn't mean all the precip has ended our state's drought concerns.

From frosty to dry - welcome to Iowa!

While many consider Memorial Weekend the kick-off to summer, it is technically still spring, and spring this far north can mean nice, warm weather, scolding hot weather, or... frost. Which parts of the state saw last week. Despite the recent swing in temperatures, NOAA's U.S. drought monitor still puts our portion of the state in a pretty rough spot. Eastern Iowa is largely in a "D0" state, this includes Linn County. This means this portion of the state is abnormally dry. Further north, counties including Black Hawk Bremer and much of Fayette are categorized as "D1" or, moderate drought. Some positive news, most of the state is not in "D2" or worse; though, some western counties are still listed as "D2" or, currently dealing with severe drought status.

NOAA - U.S. Drought Monitor (Adam Hartman, NOAA/NWS/NCEP/CPC)
NOAA - U.S. Drought Monitor (Adam Hartman, NOAA/NWS/NCEP/CPC)
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This could cause water quality issues

Radio Iowa reports the ongoing drought could cause the amount of water flowing in the Raccoon River, which feeds the Des Moines River, has dropped by about 90-percent from where it should be in May. The drought could also pose problems for the state's farmers who rely on a balance of summer heat, and rain to ensure crop growth. The next decent chance for rain as of this writing is Tuesday, June 8th.

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