(Le Mars)– Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomists have completed their fall survey of subsoil moisture in northwest Iowa. The results show rainfall in northwest Iowa during the growing season was variable but allowed some counties to move out of the D4 drought category on the drought monitor, leaving most in the D0 to D1 categories.
It also shows subsoil moisture levels across northwest Iowa have improved from a year ago. A monitoring site near Spirit Lake reported 7.55 inches of available subsoil moisture this fall, compared with 2.44 inches in the fall of 2022 and 4.54 inches this past spring. A full profile in northwest Iowa can hold about 11 inches of plant available moisture.
Officials say there’s a possibility of further recovery over the winter but the amount of precipitation and frost depth will affect that. They add replenishment is more likely to happen in the spring when the ground thaws. Typical rainfall for March and April is 3 to 5 inches.
