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Accumulated Precipitation

06 Sep 2013 05:44 AM
Will 2013 be remembered for being a wet year or a dry year or both? The featured chart displays the statewide accumulated precipitation for this year, last year, 1993 (wettest year), and 1988 (driest year). The shading represents the range of values since 1893. Around the end of June, this year was the wettest to date on record, including 1993. The weather since then has been very dry and how the year to date accumulation is approaching merely average with 1993 some 15 inches higher! The forecast continues to hold little hope of widespread precipitation.

Voting:
Good: 146
Bad: 16

Tags:   2013   2012   1993   1988   precip  

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Precipitation accumulation

17 Oct 2012 05:41 AM
Precipitation comes in various forms and at various rates for Iowa. For this year, precipitation has been difficult to come by. Have we missed out on heavy rainfall events or lots of smaller rainfall events? The featured graph attempts to address this question by showing the accumulated precipitation over increasing daily precipitation. For example during 2012, the total rainfall for daily events less than 0.5 inch has been 15 inches. Restating, 15 inches of rainfall this year has come from daily events of less than 0.5 inches. The flood year of 1993 certainly sticks out on the opposite end of the spectrum. So for 2012, the line would indicate we have missed out on both light and heavy rainfall events.

Voting:
Good: 14
Bad: 5

Tags:   2012   1988   1993  

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Bad year for corn

17 Aug 2012 05:47 AM
The featured chart presents yearly time series of USDA reported weekly corn crop condition for Iowa and five nearby states. The charted line represents the total area estimated to be in either "poor" or "very poor" condition. These are the two worst categories that are designated. Each chart contains the time series for each year since 1986. Conveniently, this allows us to compare this year with the last major drought of 1988 in the Midwest. Other significant years of 2005 and 1993 are included for comparison. While 2012 has been devastating in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, things have not been all that bad in Minnesota. Compare that with what happened in 1993 where Minnesota got the worst of it. It is not for certain how much some recent rains in the Midwest will help the corn crop as the damage has pretty much already been done in the hardest hit areas.

Voting:
Good: 82
Bad: 25

Tags:   usda   corn   2012   1988   1993