State climatologist Justin Glisan says February continued what has been a dry winter.
He says it will end up around the 17th driest February in 154 years of records. Glisan says February did not have the snow drought we saw in January.
He says the metrological winter saw much more snow than last year, which ranked 4th for the least amount of snow on the ground. Glisan says the overall snowfall season was a little behind normal.
Glisan says the areas that got less snow, like southeastern Iowa and also northwestern Iowa, saw drought conditions increase.
Glisan says temperatures in February were about seven degrees above normal, which provided the benefit of warming of the top level of soil, allowing moisture to sink in.
Glisan says in southeast and eastern Iowa, there was less overall moisture and the soil profiles remain dry.
