/ Parts of the Midwest and the High Plains are still in drought, with north-central North Dakota and western Colorado seeing the worst of it. Scientists say the May rains weren t enough to bail the regions out.
Even with recent rains across the region, scientists say expanses across the Midwest and High Plains remain in a long-haul drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor says conditions in parts of the Midwest range from abnormally dry to severe drought. The High Plains fare worse, with pockets of exceptional drought.
Recent rains can’t make up for soils that have been parched so thoroughly and for so long, said Adam Hartman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center and one of the authors of the May 27 drought monitor map.
By Trent Rice
May 12, 2021
DES MOINES, Iowa Des Moines primary source of drinking water the Raccoon River is running about 10 percent of normal right now. The river is lower than it would typically be. Median river flow this time of year is about 4,000 CFS (cubic feet per second). Right now the river s running at 400 CFS says Des Moines Water Works Chief Executive Officer Ted Corrigan.
He says weeks of dry weather are taking their toll on river levels. We have plenty of water for drinking water in the city of Des Moines. The challenge becomes if the drought deepens and demand would increase for outdoor water for irrigation lawn watering, specifically Corrigan says.