IEM Daily Feature
Friday, 05 July 2013

Making up deficits

Posted: 05 Jul 2013 05:39 AM

Thanks to a wet spring and June, Iowa made up its 365 day precipitation deficit from the drought of 2012. The featured chart presents some metrics related to making up this year long precipitation deficit. The top panel displays the daily rate the deficit was made up as measured from the date with the largest deficit to when the deficit was erased. The second panel displays the number of days it took for the given deficit to be erased. The bottom panel displays the depth and time of each period since 1900 with a deficit for statewide precipitation. This year's deficit bottomed out at 9.18 inches on 26 Jan 2013 and was erased on 24 June 2013 (red items on chart). The chart shows that once the long term deficit reaches four or more inches, it will probably take three months or more to recover.

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Tags:   precip   drought