Much needed precipitation limited Iowa farmers to 3.9 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 27, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included spraying post emergence herbicides and harvesting hay.
Topsoil moisture levels across Iowa rated 12 percent very short, 30 percent short, 52 percent adequate and 6 percent surplus, an improvement over last week. Ratings in west central Iowa were 7 percent very short, 34 percent short, 58 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 18 percent very short, 42 percent short, 37 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 24 percent very short, 54 percent short, and 22 percent adequate.
While precipitation fell across the state during the week, amounts received varied widely with northwest Iowa still reporting over two-thirds of topsoil moisture short to very short. In contrast, districts in the southern one-third of Iowa rated 60 percent or more of subsoil moisture adequate to surplus.
Farmers reported crops benefitted from the rain but more moisture is needed, especially in the northern two thirds of the state. There were scattered reports of damaging hail and high winds throughout Iowa.
Iowa’s corn condition rated 60 percent good to excellent. Soybean emergence was virtually complete. Across the state, 19 percent of soybeans were blooming, six days ahead of the five-year average. There were scattered reports of soybeans setting pods. Soybean condition was rated 58 percent good to excellent. Oats headed or beyond reached 84 percent with 23 percent turning color, four days ahead of normal. Iowa’s oat condition rated 57 percent good to excellent.
The second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 7 percent complete, four days behind the 5-year average. Wet conditions slowed progress in some areas. Hay condition improved to 55 percent good to excellent, 6 percentage points above last week. Pasture condition also improved slightly to 40 percent good to excellent. Some feedlots were muddy after recent rainfalls.
Weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Several waves of showers and thunderstorms brought measurable rainfall statewide during the reporting period along with multiple days of severe weather. Parts of southern and northeastern Iowa experienced heavy rain which led to localized flash flooding. Portions of northwestern Iowa continued to miss out on higher totals. In the presence of rain and more cloud cover, temperatures were cooler than normal with a statewide average temperature of 70.3 degrees, 2.3 degrees cooler than normal.
An area of widespread rainfall associated with a low pressure center continued west to east across Iowa through Sunday afternoon, June 20, as clouds cleared and daytime heating commenced over central Iowa. As temperatures rose into the low 80s with an unstable atmosphere ahead of a cold front, strong to severe storms formed along the boundary. There were several reports of severe hail and high winds, though the story of the day was an EF-1 rated tornado that caused structural damage at a farm in Pella (Marion County). Rain totals at 7 am on Monday indicated heavier rainfall from stronger thunderstorms between Waterloo (Black Hawk County) and Dubuque (Dubuque County) with more than 30 stations reporting above one inch; a gauge in Winthrop (Buchanan County) measured 2.40 inches. Afternoon temperatures were pleasant, in the upper 60s and low 70s, with gusty northerly winds and mostly sunny skies.
Overnight lows into Tuesday, June 22, dropped into the upper 40s and low 50s. As a warm front lifted across Iowa, severe and discrete supercell thunderstorms formed during the evening hours from northwestern Iowa into central Iowa producing hail sizes ranging from pea to golf balls. Though narrow, the length of the hail damage swaths was relatively long, producing thousands of acres of shredded corn and defoliated soybeans. Moderate rain also fell over Iowa’s central northwest to southeast one-third with totals above 0.50 inch at a majority of stations; Montezuma (Poweshiek County) measured 2.55 inches with the statewide precipitation averaging 0.43 inch.
Sunshine and southerly winds helped boost afternoon temperatures into the mid to upper 80s on Wednesday, producing widespread atmospheric instability. Within this unstable environment, a line of strong thunderstorms moved across Iowa’s southern two-thirds before pushing out of southeastern Iowa late morning on Thursday, June 24. Partly to mostly sunny conditions persisted through early evening as a strong disturbance moved along the Iowa-Missouri border, bringing isolated severe storms in southwestern Iowa; a weak tornado was observed near Prescott (Adams County). In the presence of abundant atmospheric moisture, thunderstorms in southeastern Iowa produced rainfall rates between two to three inches per hour; Eldon (Wapello County) reported 7.21 inches with 32 stations observing more than two inches.
Daytime temperatures on Friday, June 25, varied from the upper 70s and low 80s with partly cloudy skies and winds out of the south. Showers and thunderstorms developed across Iowa’s northern half during the afternoon with heavy rain reported in the northeast. Storms pushed into western Iowa as another disturbance re-fired shower and thunderstorms across the state into Saturday. Morning conditions were muggy with lows in the mid-60s to low 70s. Widespread rainfall persisted in northern Iowa as a cold front swept through during the late afternoon hours forcing isolated thunderstorms in eastern Iowa.
Two-day rain totals reported at 7 am on Sunday, June 27, were highest in northern Iowa with isolated measurements of two to four inches; Sac City (Sac County) observed 4.53 inches while Dakota City (Humboldt County) reported 3.29 inches with a statewide average at 0.64 inch. Morning fog also formed under calm conditions.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.27 inch in Sheldon (O’Brien County) to 8.10 inches in Cedar Rapids (Linn County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 2.13 inches, almost double the weekly normal of 1.09 inches. Airports in Sioux City (Woodbury County) and Spencer (Clay County) observed the week’s high temperature of 93 degrees on June 23 and June 24, respectively, on average nine degrees warmer than normal. Several stations reported the week’s low temperature of 40 degrees on June 22, on average 20 degrees below normal.
