OttumwaSnomow

I can kinda understand kansas and nebraska having 10 to 25 day dry periods at times, its the plains. But for SE Iowa to literally had a dozen rounds of 10 to 21 day periods without a drop for years on end??? I personally can barely endure it. Everything most of the time covered in dust, inside and out. Whats our lungs like? Whenever i travel to other places (especially east). I see clean houses and cars, from frequent rains(usually weekly). SE Iowa now feels like the dakotas. Oh gmo corn and beans still do fine. But my friends im here to tell you in my area we literally are averaging 3 to 5 real wet weeks per year now!!!!!! Something is wrong. Not a 3 to 6 yr swing. Our 60 year averages have to plummeting! But winters slightly wetter and warmer.

Wow! Early am front way over performed! Some training mostly to my north. Heavy rain with intermitent pea size hail for over 1 hour! Best rain in a long time! 1.03" on my ambient gage! KDMX - Super-Res Reflectivity 1, 4_43 AM.mp4

Mby will end September with just 1.12" and in September once again a extreme dry spell. 21straight days again with no measurable rain.. The 2nd 21 day rainless period in past 70 days!!!! I dont understand what is happening to Iowa's climate but long ridiculous dry periods are the norm now. 3 to 4 very wet weeks per year. Very disheartening for those that grow lots of things. Oh and Ottumwa airport (OTM) just .71" in September.

I still have a copy of the horrific and specific warnings put out by nws when Katrina hit NewOrleans. Still cant believe so many died in part for not heeding the warnings.

Eastern Iowa almost NEVER gets substantial rain from a tropical sys. Ive only seen near 1 inch of rain 1 time my 18 years here. But illinois missouri and indiana have several times.

Have you noticed that what seems like for years that troughs to our west are extremely transient? For us to be on the eastern edge of a trough is almost unheard of any more!!!!! 90% of time we are on west edge of a trough which leads to cloudless and rainless cold fronts. Occasionally a wavy front stalls here like late July. But large synoptic systems covering the eastern iowa can be counted on 1 hand each year!!!!

It was so nice to head into the Colorado Rockies and escape the dreaded heat, humidity and drought of Iowa. Although the entire route was very dry. On wednesday we spent some time above 12000ft. It was as low as 36f and extremely windy behind the montana low. Beautiful weather entire trip 40 at night 65 for highs.

Mby recieved .60" in a weak line of storms at 2 am. The first measurable rain in 21 days! The 2nd time this summer I saw 21 days with zero rain, the other was most of July. Im just returning today from a vacation in colorado. Cant wait to see the sun mon rain!

Meanwhile way down here in se iowa we got 3 drops off it. Unmeasurable.

Havent been on for awhile. Zero rain in sept. Incredibly dry again. Our turnips and radishes plots are failing again all over southern iowa and north mo. Se iowa boring AGAIN. But Ottumwa did set a record low on sunday am of 41F. The cool has slowed the chiggers and the dry has slowed the mosquitos. But pollen and dust thru the roof.

@Stormy I had .36" early am friday. My yearly total is 33.21" which is top 40 of over 300 sites in Iowa. So a wet year, but I started the growing season 2024 in top 6 wettest. Interesting note is that OTM (ottumwa airport) continues way under my data as usual year after year, OTM has 27.97" which is significally less than your location and mine. In fact only one event all summer did OTM have slightly higher daily rain total than mby about 6 miles nnw. I still firmly believe that gage is inaccurate. I have 3 gages 2 of which are cocorahs and nws coop observer equipment.

@Stormy did you notice all the crazy outflow boundaries Tues eve? First one dropped in from des metro. Then a boundary pushed north from huge cells to my se. Seemed like to me all the cells that fired up after dark were from those outflows colliding?

I began visiting Iowa in 2007. Moved permenantly July 1 2008. When some miss river crossings were closed and yhe des river was flooding parts of the area bad. Those wetter summers here 2008 to 2011 were cooler. But this one is "one" of the cooler ones. But this last heatwave now has me close to 20 90 degree days. Lawns in Ottumwa, bloomfield fairfield growing gang busters. Actually a top 5 yr for lawn care. Ive actually mowed 25 times my big back lawn. This is the fastest I can remember lawns growing the entire month of Aug. We mow 300 acres mostly commercial accounts and with this heat our employees are wearing out!

Ended up getting .60" more in some other spots. Absolutely save the 67 deer brassica plots my company planted!

True you are. Got .37" so far and still raining.