With portions of the Raccoon Valley Radio area under a drought, it’s also caused dropping river levels.

According to the US Army Corps of Engineers as of Friday morning, the Raccoon River level in Jefferson is just under five-feet and the flood stage is at 19-feet. In Perry, the Raccoon River is at 3.41-feet, where the flood stage is at 15-feet. Then in Panora, the river level is 4.23-feet, and the flood stage there is 11-feet.

According to the US Drought Monitor, the southern half of Guthrie County and the southern two-thirds of Dallas County are abnormally dry, while the extreme northern border of Greene County is also abnormally dry. 

Rainfall totals for July are also behind the normal monthly averages. According to the National Weather Service as of Friday, Jefferson reports 2.78-inches of precipitation and the average is just under four-inches. Perry has seen 2.58-inches for July and their normal average for the month is just over four-inches. Guthrie Center has actually seen more than its average for precipitation with 4.43-inches this month, compared to the average of 3.92-inches.