Here is a chart of the first six months of precipitation for numerous reporting stations in Iowa and selected cities across the region. It shows that numerous locations in northern Iowa northward into Minnesota and the Dakotas are behind on precipitation at the halfway point of the year. This has led to a drought especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin this year. Some of this has been migrating southward only to have a storm system move in bring some rain to the state. Minneapolis has barely received half of what they’re supposed to get up to this point. They were roughly in the same position last year as well. Almost every station in Iowa is well down on the rainfall from 2008, some cases almost 10 inches less. It will be interesting to watch and monitor the drought in Minnesota and Wisconsin to see if it makes enrodes back into the state later this summer.