Counties with the worst droughts in Iowa

Nearly half of the continental United States is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Storms during this past winter brought heavy (in some areas, record-setting) rainfall and flooding to California, offering the state an expected two-year reprieve from widespread droughts that covered nearly 100% of the state from 2020 to 2022. But in other parts of the country, especially dry conditions continue.

Four states currently have the most widespread drought, covering 100% of their areas. These are South Dakota, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware.

In periods of drought, levels of major reservoirs and rivers can fall dramatically. Groundwater systems are also affected as shrinking water supplies impact agriculture and hydropower generation while increasing wildfire risk. Across New England, ongoing drought has shrunk reservoirs and water supplies in the region.

Periods of drought have intensified and become more frequent in recent years due to climate change. Scientists predict that even in low-emissions scenarios, much of the U.S. will be drier by the end of the century.

Stacker cited data from the U.S. Drought Monitor to identify the counties in Iowa with the worst droughts as of Dec. 17, 2024. Counties are listed in order of percent of the area in drought conditions. "Abnormally dry" is not considered to be a drought but is included as a separate data point. Additional data for the state overall is also included. Any counties not experiencing drought are not included in the list. Counties are listed in order of drought severity.

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Emma Rubin // Stacker

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Iowa statistics

- Abnormally dry: 18.3%
- Area in drought: 61.1% (#11 nationally)
--- Moderate drought: 59.9%
--- Severe drought: 1.3%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Wright County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Worth County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Winneshiek County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Winnebago County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Shelby County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Sac County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Pocahontas County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

Joel McCartan // Shutterstock

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Palo Alto County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Osceola County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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O'Brien County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Mitchell County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Lyon County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Kossuth County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Ida County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Humboldt County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Howard County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Harrison County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Hancock County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Grundy County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Franklin County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Floyd County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Fayette County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Emmet County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Dickinson County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Crawford County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Clay County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Chickasaw County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Cherokee County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Cerro Gordo County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Cass County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Carroll County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Calhoun County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Butler County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Buena Vista County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Buchanan County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Bremer County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Black Hawk County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Benton County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Audubon County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 100.0%
--- Severe drought: 0.0%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Monona County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 94.8%
--- Severe drought: 5.2%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Sioux County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 66.6%
--- Severe drought: 33.4%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Woodbury County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 56.9%
--- Severe drought: 43.1%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

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Plymouth County

- Abnormally dry: 0.0%
- Area in drought: 100.0%
--- Moderate drought: 25.5%
--- Severe drought: 74.5%
--- Extreme drought: 0.0%
--- Exceptional drought: 0.0%

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.