DES MOINES — A remarkably wet September has wiped out nearly all of Iowa’s remaining drought conditions, delivering a dramatic turnaround for Northern Iowa and helping the state close its third consecutive water year with more precipitation than normal.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported Thursday, October 8, that the 2026 water year, which ran from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, ended with a statewide precipitation surplus of 2.82 inches. The state received 38.37 inches of precipitation over the 12-month period, ranking it the 20th-wettest water year on record.
The shift is especially striking after NorthIowaToday.com reported in September that drought continued to grip portions of Northern Iowa despite August rainfall.
September deluge turns the drought picture around
September brought an average of 7.83 inches of rainfall to Iowa, about 4.35 inches above normal. The total made it the fourth-wettest September on record, according to the state water summary.
That surge of moisture sharply improved conditions across the state. All five of Iowa’s drought regions now carry a normal designation under the Iowa Drought Plan. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows severe drought eliminated and moderate drought removed from most of Iowa, with just over 1 percent of the state’s area still classified as abnormally dry.
Earlier this summer, conditions looked far less promising. In August, drought watches remained in northwest Iowa and expanded into southwestern Iowa. Later, heavy rain soaked parts of Northern Iowa while drought continued in western counties, illustrating how unevenly precipitation was distributed before September’s turnaround.
Wet conditions accompanied by unusually high temperatures
Despite the rainfall, September was also unusually warm. Iowa’s average temperature for the month was 68.3 degrees, 4.6 degrees above normal, making it the ninth-warmest September on record.
Across the full water year, Iowa’s average temperature reached 51.3 degrees, 3.1 degrees above normal. That ranks as the fifth-warmest water year in the state’s records.
Those figures show that the abundant precipitation arrived during a notably warm period, rather than a generally cool one.
Outlook points toward a drought-free end to 2026
The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal drought outlook indicates that remaining dry conditions in western Iowa are likely to disappear by the end of December, with the state projected to remain drought-free through the end of the calendar year. The outlook is a forecast, not a guarantee.
“The 2026 water year ended on a very positive note, with a wet September helping us achieve our third straight year of statewide precipitation surpluses. All five of our state drought regions have returned to normal designations, and seasonal outlooks suggest Iowa will remain drought-free through the end of the calendar year,” said Jessica Reese McIntyre, an Iowa DNR environmental specialist.
The state’s water year runs from October through September and provides a way to assess precipitation and water resources across seasons. The Iowa DNR’s Water Summary Update tracks precipitation, drought, groundwater and streamflow conditions in collaboration with other agencies.