Now that the heat wave has lessened, concerns shift to drought

Temperatures this week are not expected to be as high as last week, when highs reached the 90s for ten straight days.

But although it will be cooler this week, only Wednesday's and Thursday's forecasts call for the possibility of rain.

Normally one inch of rain fallsduring one week in July.  No rain fell in Winneshiek County from June 26th through July 3rd.  And the above normal temperatures meant enhanced evaporation rates.  The National Weather Service says the topsoil near Calmar lost about 1.80 inches of water through evaporation during the week.   In northeast Iowa, 82 percent of top soils were rated as either veryshort or short of moisture.

Concluded the report from the National Weather Service Office in La Crosse, "We need rain."