Tuesday’s rainfall continued a week’s worth of drought relief in the region.

On Tuesday, .25” to .5” of precipitation fell throughout most of Marion County. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most Marion County was most recently listed under extreme conditions, with areas north of Lake Red Rock in the severe category. The next report is due out tomorrow morning.

Additional rain is in the forecast this weekend, with the National Weather Service predicting showers and storms beginning late Friday evening and continuing though early Sunday morning. The latest forecast projections estimate between 1″ to 1.5″ possible through the end of the weekend.

The National Weather Service Palmer Drought Index indicates Marion County needs another 6-9” of rain over the next four weeks to alleviate drought in the region.
Since Tuesday, October 3rd (with yesterday’s totals in brackets):

Pella – 1.52″ (0.31 – 10/10)
Knoxville – 1.92″ (.48 – 10/10)
Lake Red Rock – 1.6″ (.38 – 10/10)
Cedar Creek – 4.34″ (.37 – 10/10)
Des Moines River near Tracy – 2.4″ (.06 – 10/10)