Third wettest June in 141 years
Storms during the week limited field work for Iowa farmers according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide, there were 2.2 days suitable for field work. Farmers in west central Iowa had just 1.6 days.
The rain raised soil moisture levels, in some cases beyond ideal. Statewide, topsoil moisture levels rated 3 percent short, 61 percent adequate, and 36 percent surplus. In west central Iowa, topsoil moisture was rated 1 percent sort, 73 percent adequate and 26 percent surplus. With the exception of southeast Iowa every district in the state had more than one-fourth of its topsoil in surplus condition.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide were rated as 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 68 percent adequate and 22 percent surplus. The ratings in west central Iowa were 2 percent very short, 17 percent short, 68 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus.
Crops are doing well. Corn condition rated 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 16 percent fair, 56 percent good and 23 percent excellent.
Six percent of the soybean acreage was blooming, 10 days ahead of last year but still two days behind normal. Soybean condition rated 1 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 19 percent fair, 57 percent good and 18 percent excellent.
The first cutting of alfalfa hay was 90 percent complete, 3 percentage points ahead of both last year and average.
Preliminary weather summary, Harry Hillaker, IDALS climatologist: Iowa saw three rain events during the week, with each one affecting most of the state. Rain on Sunday, June 22, dropped the most rain on southeast Iowa, with Burlington getting 3.85 inches. Rain on Thursday and Friday dropped the heaviest rains on central Iowa, with 5.45 inches in Adel and 5.4 inches in Maxwell. On Saturday, the eastern two-thirds of Iowa got rain, with the highest total being 2.62 inches west of Osceola. More rain fell after the cut-off for the IDALS reporting period.
Weekly rain totals varied from 0.17 inches at Lester in Lyon County in northwest Iowa to 7.6 inches at Maxwell. The statewide average precipitation was 2.22 inches, nearly double the weekly normal of 1.17 inches. Volunteer weather observer John Beltz reported that Jefferson received 1.91 inches of rain during the week that ended June 27 at 6 am. Jefferson received another 2.3 inches before the end of June.
Temperatures across the state ranged from morning lows of 55 degrees at Sac City on June 24 and in Atlantic, Audubon and Battle Creek on June 25, to a high of 89 degrees at Donnellson June 25. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 0.6 degrees above normal. In Jefferson, temperatures ranged from a low of 61 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday to a high of 86 degrees on Friday.
According to Hillaker, preliminary data suggests this was the third wettest June in 141 years of Iowa rainfall records (behind 1947 and 2010).
