Dry, But No Drought Like in Summer 2012

Thunderstorms early Monday morning brought a much needed 0.55" of rain, officially, to the Quad Cities.  There were reports of 1-3" of rain in Dubuque County, Iowa, from the same line of storms.

Before this morning's rain, we had gone eight days without any measurable rain in the metro area and the ground was starting to dry out.  Lawns that weren't being watered were becoming a little stressed.

As of last week, only about 1.7% of the Midwest is "abnormally dry" compared to 71.1% of the same area one year ago.

A "moderate" drought is currently taking place over northern Minnesota, which only accounts for about 0.7% of the Midwest.  This time last year, 45.8% of the Midwest was experiencing "moderate" drought conditions.

And, while no part of the Midwest is experiencing "severe" or "extreme" drought conditions this year, one year ago, those numbers were at 15.3% for "severe" drought and 5.3% for "extreme" drought.

More scattered showers and storms are likely later tonight and Tuesday before cooler and drier air takes over our weather.

CBS4 Meteorologist Anthony Peoples