While folks in the Northeast are digging out of still another major snowstorm, Iowans should be pleading, “Please, send us your snow.”
Earlier this week a winter storm covered 1,000 miles from Kentucky to Massachusetts. The National Weather Service reports average snow depth of 8 inches in the Northeast, and although there are places where there is no snow cover, the deepest snow is reported to be 49 inches. New Jersey got 15 inches of snow, New York City got 10 inches, and in Washington DC, snow, not gridlock, caused the closure of some government offices.
And in west central Iowa, most residents can see grass poking through the snow and windswept fields show black, not white. Town dwellers perhaps enjoy not shoveling snow, but the snowfall shortfall is adding to drought conditions challenging farm neighbors.
According to volunteer weather observer John Beltz, Jefferson finished 2013 with a total of 29.81 inches of precipitation, 2.61 inches less than normal, but of the total, only 5.09 came in the last six months of the year. That compares to 16.4 inches from July through December in a normal year.
Jefferson received 5.9 inches of December snow. White-out conditions have snarled travel twice in January, but it was the result of only a little snow and a lot of wind. KCCI’s SchoolNet reports only .02 inches of precipitation as of Jan. 21.
While the 2013 growing season ended very dry, farmers are not seeing relief in the form of spring snow melt on the way. The USDA rates most of Greene County as being in severe drought. Farmers would appreciate some of the Northeast’s problem snow.
Intensity:
D0 – Abnormally Dry
D1 – Moderate Drought
D2 – Severe Drought
