Iowa Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Geography== {{Main|Geography of Iowa}} ===Boundaries=== {{See also|List of counties in Iowa}} [[File:Iowa topography.jpg|thumb|Topography of Iowa, with counties and major streams]] Iowa is bordered by the [[Mississippi River]] on the east along with the [[Missouri River]] and the [[Big Sioux River]] on the west. The northern boundary is a line along 43 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude.<ref>{{cite book|title=Preamble to the 1857 Constitution of the State of Iowa |url=http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Constitution.html#pre1 |access-date=August 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802085648/http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Constitution.html |archive-date=August 2, 2009 }}</ref>{{efn|The Missouri and Mississippi river boundaries are as they were mapped in the 19th century, which can vary from their modern courses.}} The southern border is the [[Des Moines River]] and a not-quite-straight line along approximately 40 degrees 35 minutes north, as decided by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in ''[[State of Missouri v. State of Iowa (1849)|Missouri v. Iowa]]'' (1849) after a standoff between [[Missouri]] and Iowa known as the [[Honey War]].<ref>[[Case citation|48 U.S. (7 How.) 660 (1849).]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Jeff |last=Morrison |title=Forty-Thirty-five or fight? Sullivan's Line, the Honey War, and latitudinal estimations |url=http://homepage.mac.com/jeffmorrison/maps/sullivanline.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101232646/http://homepage.mac.com/jeffmorrison/maps/sullivanline.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 1, 2007 |date=January 13, 2005 |access-date=August 9, 2009 }}</ref> Iowa is the only state whose east and west borders are formed almost entirely by rivers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.50states.com/facts/iowa.htm|title=Iowa Fast Facts and Trivia|publisher=50states.com|access-date=February 24, 2013|archive-date=January 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128111247/http://www.50states.com/facts/iowa.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Carter Lake, Iowa]], is the only city in the state located west of the Missouri River.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofcarterlake.com/about-carter-lake-|access-date=October 7, 2020|title=About Carter Lake|archive-date=October 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009210417/http://www.cityofcarterlake.com/about-carter-lake-|url-status=live}}</ref> Iowa has 99 [[County (United States)|counties]], but 100 [[county seat]]s because [[Lee County, Iowa|Lee County]] has two. The state capital, [[Des Moines]], is in [[Polk County, Iowa|Polk County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/research/data/Pages/CountySeats.aspx |title=National Association of Counties |publisher=County Seats |access-date=December 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222131008/http://www.naco.org/research/data/Pages/CountySeats.aspx |archive-date=December 22, 2010 }}</ref> ===Geology and terrain=== [[File:Desoto Lake1.jpg|thumb|[[DeSoto Lake (Iowa)|DeSoto Lake]] at [[DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge]]]] [[File:Iowa terrain.jpg|thumb|Iowa terrain]] Iowa's bedrock geology generally decreases in age from east to west. In northwest Iowa, [[Cretaceous]] bedrock can be 74 million years old; in eastern Iowa [[Cambrian]] bedrock dates to c. 500 million years ago.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Prior |first1=Jean Cutler |others=Adapted from ''Iowa Geology 2007'', [[Iowa Department of Natural Resources]] |title=Geology of Iowa: Iowa's Earth History Shaped by Ice, Wind, Rivers, and Ancient Seas |url=http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/Browse/geoiowa/GEOIOWA.HTM |access-date=August 9, 2009 |publisher=Iowa Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416104106/http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/browse/geoiowa/geoiowa.htm |archive-date=April 16, 2009 }}</ref> The oldest radiometrically dated bedrock in the state is the 2.9 billion year old [[Otter Creek Layered Mafic Complex]]. [[Precambrian]] rock is exposed only in the northwest of the state.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Anderson |first1=Wayne I. |title=Iowa's Geological Past: Three Billion Years of Change |date=1998 |location=Iowa City |publisher=University of Iowa Press|page=21 }}</ref> Iowa can be divided into eight [[landform]]s based on [[glaciation]], [[soil]]s, [[topography]], and river drainage.<ref name=Prior91>{{cite book|author=Prior, Jean C. |date=1991 |title=Landforms of Iowa |publisher=University of Iowa Press, Iowa City |url=http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/Browse/landform.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302084724/http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/Browse/landform.htm |archive-date=March 2, 2009 }}</ref> [[Loess]] hills lie along the western border of the state, some of which are several hundred feet thick.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/info/loess/ | title=Geology of the Loess Hills, Iowa | date=July 1999 | access-date=March 26, 2008 | publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] | archive-date=March 28, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328103032/http://pubs.usgs.gov/info/loess/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Northeast Iowa along the [[Upper Mississippi River]] is part of the [[Driftless Area]], consisting of steep hills and valleys which appear as mountainous.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uni.edu/iowaonline/prairievoices/images/Landforms_of_Iowa.pdf |title=Landforms of Iowa |publisher=Uni.edu |access-date=April 7, 2020 |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731024555/http://www.uni.edu/iowaonline/prairievoices/images/Landforms_of_Iowa.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Several natural lakes exist, most notably [[Spirit Lake (Iowa)|Spirit Lake]], [[West Okoboji Lake]], and [[East Okoboji Lake]] in northwest Iowa (''see [[Iowa Great Lakes]]''). To the east lies [[Clear Lake (Iowa)|Clear Lake]]. Man-made lakes include Lake Odessa,<ref name=Odessa>{{cite web|url=http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/fishing/lakes/ode58.html |title=Odessa |publisher=Iowa Department of Natural Resources |access-date=June 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921204808/http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/fishing/lakes/ode58.html |archive-date=September 21, 2008 }}</ref> [[Saylorville Lake]], [[Lake Red Rock (Des Moines River)|Lake Red Rock]], [[Coralville Lake]], Lake MacBride, and Rathbun Lake. Before European settlement, 4 to 6 million acres of the state was covered with wetlands, about 95% of these wetlands have been drained.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iowadnr.gov/environmental-protection/water-quality/water-monitoring/wetlands|title=Wetlands|website=Iowadnr.gov|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407181024/https://www.iowadnr.gov/environmental-protection/water-quality/water-monitoring/wetlands|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Ecology and environment=== {{main|Environment of Iowa}} [[Image:Landforms of Iowa.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Landforms of Iowa]] Iowa's natural vegetation is [[tallgrass prairie]] and [[savanna]] in upland areas, with dense forest and wetlands in flood plains and protected river valleys, and pothole wetlands in northern prairie areas.<ref name=Prior91 /> Most of Iowa is used for agriculture; crops cover 60% of the state, grasslands (mostly pasture and hay with some prairie and wetland) cover 30%, and forests cover 7%; urban areas and water cover another 1% each.<ref>Iowa DNR: Iowa's Statewide Land Cover Inventory, [http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/Browse/landcvr/landcvr.htm Uiowa.edu] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502010333/http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/Browse/landcvr/landcvr.htm |date=May 2, 2009 }}</ref> The southern part of Iowa is categorized as the [[Central forest-grasslands transition]] ecoregion.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Terrestrial ecoregions of North America : a conservation assessment|date=1999|publisher=Island Press|author=Ricketts, Taylor H.|isbn=1-55963-722-6|location=Washington, D.C.|oclc=40856986}}</ref> The Northern, drier part of Iowa is categorized as part of the [[Central tall grasslands]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/na0805|title=Central tall grasslands {{!}} Ecoregions {{!}} WWF|website=World Wildlife Fund|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-date=August 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810230034/https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/na0805|url-status=live}}</ref> There is a dearth of natural areas in Iowa; less than 1% of the [[tallgrass prairie]] that once covered most of Iowa remains intact; only about 5% of the state's prairie pothole wetlands remain, and most of the original forest has been lost.<ref>Iowa's Threatened and Endangered Species Program, [http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/ThreatenedEndangered.aspx Iowadnr.gov] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035847/http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/ThreatenedEndangered.aspx |date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref> {{As of|2005}} Iowa ranked 49th of U.S. states in public land holdings.<ref>"Des Moines Register", June 1, 2019, [http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/politics/IaChild/eddmr601.html Iowa Must Step Up Investment in Public Lands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722011116/http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/politics/IaChild/eddmr601.html |date=July 22, 2011 }} Nicholasjohnson.org</ref> Threatened or endangered animals in Iowa include the [[least tern|interior least tern]], [[piping plover]], [[Indiana bat]], [[pallid sturgeon]], the [[Discus macclintocki|Iowa Pleistocene land snail]], [[Higgins' eye pearly mussel]], and the [[Topeka shiner]].<ref>Federally Listed Animals in Iowa, [http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/livingOnTheEdge/endangeredAnimals.asp Agriculture.state.ia.us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930210518/http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/livingOnTheEdge/endangeredAnimals.asp |date=September 30, 2011 }}</ref> Endangered or threatened plants include [[western prairie fringed orchid]], [[eastern prairie fringed orchid]], [[Mead's milkweed]], [[prairie bush clover]], and [[northern wild monkshood]].<ref>Federally Listed Plants in Iowa, [http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/livingOnTheEdge/endangeredPlants.asp Agriculture.state.ia.us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930210523/http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/livingOnTheEdge/endangeredPlants.asp |date=September 30, 2011 }}</ref> The explosion in the number of [[Concentrated animal feeding operation|high-density livestock facilities]] in Iowa has led to increased rural water contamination and a decline in air quality.<ref name="ISU 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2020/02/18/cafos-animal-feeding-hogs-harms-iowa-have-worsened-moratorium/4794608002/|title=Living with Hogs in Rural Iowa|year=2003|website=Iowa Ag Review|publisher=[[Iowa State University]]|access-date=November 25, 2009|archive-date=November 20, 2021|archive-url=https://perma.cc/PY49%2DYSPG|url-status=live}}</ref> Other factors negatively affecting Iowa's environment include the extensive use of older [[coal-fired power plants]],<ref name="gazette coal">{{cite news|url=http://gazetteonline.com/breaking-news/2009/11/24/report-many-iowa-coal-plants-among-nations-oldest|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208190707/http://gazetteonline.com/breaking-news/2009/11/24/report-many-iowa-coal-plants-among-nations-oldest|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 8, 2012|title=Report: Many Iowa coal plants among nation's oldest|last=Heldt|first=Diane|date=November 24, 2009|work=Cedar Rapids Gazette|access-date=November 25, 2009}}</ref> fertilizer and pesticide runoff from crop production,<ref name="IPT runoff">{{cite web|url=http://www.iptv.org/iowajournal/story.cfm/556 |title=Iowa Works to Reduce Run-off Polluting the Gulf of Mexico |date=September 17, 2009 |website=The Iowa Journal |publisher=Iowa Public Television |access-date=November 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106172619/http://www.iptv.org/iowajournal/story.cfm/556 |archive-date=November 6, 2009 }}</ref> and diminishment of the [[Jordan Aquifer]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://gazetteonline.com/local-news/2009/12/06/heavy-use-draining-aquifer |title=Heavy use draining aquifer |last=Love |first=Orlan |date=December 6, 2009 |publisher=Cedar Rapids Gazette |access-date=December 20, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209064212/http://gazetteonline.com/local-news/2009/12/06/heavy-use-draining-aquifer |archive-date=December 9, 2009 }}</ref> The [[2020–2023 North American drought]] has affected Iowa particularly: As of January 2024, Iowa was in its 187th consecutive week of at least moderate [[drought]], the longest stretch since the 1950s. 96% of areas are affected by drought.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Charmayne Hefley |date=2024-01-29 |title=Iowa faces longest stretch of drought since the 1950s |url=https://www.agriculture.com/iowa-faces-longest-stretch-of-drought-since-the-1950s-8551122 |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=en}}</ref> ===Climate=== {{further|Climate change in Iowa}} [[File:Köppen Climate Types Iowa.png|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Iowa, using 1991–2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]].]] [[File:Iowa rainfall.jpg|thumb|Iowa annual rainfall, in inches; as of 2009]] Iowa has a [[humid continental climate]] throughout the state ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfa'') with extremes of both heat and cold. The average annual temperature at Des Moines is {{convert|50|F}}; for some locations in the north, such as Mason City, the figure is about {{convert|45|F}}, while [[Keokuk, Iowa|Keokuk]], on the [[Mississippi River]], averages {{convert|52|F}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/united-states-of-america/iowa-936/|title=Climate Iowa: Temperature, climate graph, Climate table for Iowa - Climate-Data.org|website=en.climate-data.org|access-date=April 6, 2020|archive-date=April 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424143949/https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/united-states-of-america/iowa-936/|url-status=live}}</ref> Snowfall is common, with [[Des Moines]] getting about 26 days of snowfall a year, and other places, such as [[Shenandoah, Iowa|Shenandoah]] getting about 11 days of snowfall in a year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Iowa/annual-snowfall.php|title=Average Annual Snowfall Totals in Iowa – Current Results|website=Currentresults.com|access-date=April 6, 2020|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221044826/https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Iowa/annual-snowfall.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Spring ushers in the beginning of the [[severe weather]] season. As of 2008, Iowa averaged about 50 days of [[thunderstorm]] activity per year.<ref name="Thunderstorm Hazard">[http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm US Thunderstorm distribution]. src.noaa.gov. Retrieved February 13, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015060809/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm |date=October 15, 2006 }}</ref> As of 2015, the 30-year annual average of tornadoes in Iowa was 47.<ref name="Annual Average Number of Tornadoes">{{cite web|url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/?n=iators2013|title=Des Moines, IA|website=noaa.gov|access-date=February 18, 2015|archive-date=August 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821013206/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/?n=iators2013|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Late-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence|2008]], twelve people were killed by tornadoes in Iowa, making it the deadliest year since [[May 1968 tornado outbreak|1968]] and also the second most tornadoes in a year with 105, matching the total from 2001.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2009-01-02-iowa-tornadoes_N.htm?csp=34 | access-date=January 2, 2009 | work=USA Today | title=2008 Iowa tornadoes deadliest since 1968 | date=January 2, 2009 | archive-date=October 11, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011012835/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2009-01-02-iowa-tornadoes_N.htm?csp=34 | url-status=live }}</ref> Iowa summers are known for heat and humidity, with daytime temperatures sometimes near {{convert|90|F}} and occasionally exceeding {{convert|100|F}}. Average winters in the state have been known to drop well below freezing, even dropping below {{convert|−18|F}}. As of 2018, Iowa's all-time hottest temperature of {{convert|118|F|C}} was recorded at Keokuk on July 20, 1934, during a nationwide heat wave;<ref>{{Cite report|url=http://www.cityofkeokuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Keokuk-Comprehensive-Plan-2018.pdf|title=Keokuk Comprehensive Plan 2018|date=June 2018|access-date=April 6, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154035/http://www.cityofkeokuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Keokuk-Comprehensive-Plan-2018.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> as of 2014, the all-time lowest temperature of {{convert|−47|F|C}} was recorded in [[Washta]] on January 12, 1912.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/07/washta-coldest-spot-in-iowa/4352579/|title=Site of Iowa's coldest temp shivers with rest of state|last=Munson|first=Kyle|website=USA TODAY|access-date=April 6, 2020|archive-date=February 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228050414/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/07/washta-coldest-spot-in-iowa/4352579/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{sort under}} {| class="wikitable sortable sort-under" "text-align: center; font-size: 90%;" |+ Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Iowa cities (°F)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ustravelweather.com/iowa/|title=Iowa Weather-Iowa Weather Forecast-Iowa Climate|website=ustravelweather.com|access-date=February 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131181314/http://www.ustravelweather.com/iowa/|archive-date=January 31, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" | City ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Jan ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Feb ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Mar ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Apr ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | May ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Jun ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Jul ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Aug ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Sep ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Oct ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Nov ! style="background-color:#e5afaa;" data-sort-type="number" | Dec |- style="background:#c5dfe1;" ! style="background:#c5dfe1;" | [[Davenport, Iowa|Davenport]]<ref name=weather.com>{{cite web|title=Monthly Averages for Davenport, Iowa|url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/wxclimatology/monthly/52804|publisher=Weather.com|access-date=November 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008014408/http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/wxclimatology/monthly/52804|archive-date=October 8, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> | 30/13 | 36/19 | 48/29 | 61/41 | 72/52 | 81/63 | 85/68 | 83/66 | 76/57 | 65/45 | 48/32 | 35/20 |- style="background:#f8f3ca;" ! style="background:#f8f3ca;" | [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0231 |title=Average Weather for Des Moines, IA—Temperature and Precipitation |publisher=Weather.com |access-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024151924/http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0231 |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 31/14 | 36/19 | 49/30 | 62/41 | 72/52 | 82/62 | 86/67 | 84/65 | 76/55 | 63/43 | 48/31 | 34/18 |- style="background:#c5dfe1;" ! style="background:#c5dfe1;" | [[Keokuk, Iowa|Keokuk]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/daily/USIA0434 |title=Daily Averages for Keokuk, IA |publisher=weather.com |access-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024141157/http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/daily/USIA0434 |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 34/17 | 39/21 | 50/30 | 63/42 | 73/52 | 83/62 | 87/67 | 85/65 | 78/56 | 66/44 | 51/33 | 33/21 |- style="background:#f8f3ca;" ! style="background:#f8f3ca;" | [[Mason City, Iowa|Mason City]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0541 |title=Average Weather for Mason City, IA—Temperature and Precipitation |publisher=Weather.com |access-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024141115/http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0541 |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 24/6 | 29/12 | 41/23 | 57/35 | 69/46 | 79/57 | 82/61 | 80/58 | 73/49 | 60/37 | 43/25 | 28/11 |- style="background:#c5dfe1;" ! style="background:#c5dfe1;" | [[Sioux City, Iowa|Sioux City]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0793 |title=Average Weather for Sioux City, IA—Temperature and Precipitation |publisher=Weather.com |access-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024141126/http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0793 |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | 31/10 | 35/15 | 47/26 | 62/37 | 73/49 | 82/59 | 86/63 | 83/63 | 76/51 | 63/38 | 46/25 | 32/13 |} ====Precipitation==== Iowa has had a relatively smooth gradient of varying [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] across the state; from 1961 to 1990, areas in the southeast of the state received an average of over {{convert|38|in|cm}} of rain annually, and the northwest of the state receiving less than {{convert|28|in|cm}}.<ref>[http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/pcpn/ia.gif Average Annual Precipitation Iowa, 1961–1990 (GIF File)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213012932/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/pcpn/ia.gif |date=February 13, 2010 }}—Christopher Daly, Jenny Weisburg</ref> The pattern of precipitation across Iowa is seasonal with more rain falling in the summer months. Virtually statewide, the driest month is January or February, and the wettest month is June owing to frequent showers and thunderstorms some of which produce hail, damaging winds or tornadoes. In Des Moines, roughly in the center of the state, over two-thirds of the {{convert|34.72|in|cm}} of rain falls from April through September, and about half the average annual precipitation falls from May through August peaking in June.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0231 |title=Average Weather for Des Moines, IA—Temperature and Precipitation, Weather.com, Retrieved Jan. 7, 2009 |publisher=Weather.com |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203141541/http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIA0231 |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> === Settlements === [[File:Iowa pop 00 to 09.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Percent population changes by counties in Iowa, 2000–2009. Dark green counties have gains of more than 5%.<ref>Data from U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Modeled after Iowa Data Center Map, [http://www.iowadatacenter.org/maps/copercent2009 Iowadatacenter.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082408/http://www.iowadatacenter.org/maps/copercent2009 |date=January 17, 2013 }}</ref>]] {{See also|List of cities in Iowa|List of largest Iowa cities by population}}Iowa's population is more urban than rural, with 61 percent living in urban areas in 2000, a trend that began in the early 20th century.<ref name="data.iowadatacenter.org"/> Urban counties in Iowa grew 8.5% from 2000 to 2008, while rural counties declined by 4.2%.<ref>Iowans still flocking to cities, census stats show. ''Cedar Rapids Gazette'', June 30, 2009, [http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090701/NEWS/707019956/1001/NEWS Gazetteonline.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330082817/http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20090701%2FNEWS%2F707019956%2F1001%2FNEWS |date=March 30, 2012 }}</ref> The shift from rural to urban has caused population increases in more urbanized counties such as [[Dallas County, Iowa|Dallas]], [[Johnson County, Iowa|Johnson]], [[Linn County, Iowa|Linn]], [[Polk County, Iowa|Polk]], and [[Scott County, Iowa|Scott]], at the expense of more rural counties.<ref>U.S. Census Bureau State and County Quick Facts, [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19000.html Census.gov] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527093102/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19000.html |date=May 27, 2010 }}</ref> Iowa, in common with other Midwestern states (especially [[Kansas]], [[Nebraska]], [[North Dakota]], and [[South Dakota]]), is feeling the brunt of [[rural flight]], although Iowa has been gaining population since approximately 1990. Some smaller communities, such as [[Denison, Iowa|Denison]] and [[Storm Lake, Iowa|Storm Lake]], have mitigated this population loss through gains in immigrant laborers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/books/14grim.html|work=The New York Times|first=William|last=Grimes|title=In This Small Town in Iowa the Future Speaks Spanish|date=September 14, 2005|access-date=February 19, 2017|archive-date=February 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209162307/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/books/14grim.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Another demographic problem for Iowa is the [[brain drain]], in which educated young adults leave the state in search of better prospects in higher education or employment. During the 1990s, Iowa had the second highest exodus rate for single, educated young adults, second only to North Dakota.<ref>''Iowa Brain Drain'', Iowa Civic Analysis Network, University of Iowa, [http://www.uiowa.edu/~ican/Papers%202006/braindrain122806.pdf Uiowa.edu] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412193400/http://www.uiowa.edu/~ican/Papers%202006/braindrain122806.pdf |date=April 12, 2012 }}</ref> {|class="wikitable sortable" |+Iowa's largest cities and their surrounding areas<br /><small>Recorded by the [[United States Census Bureau]]</small> |- ! scope="col" |Rank ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |City ! scope="col" style="width: 5em;" |2020 city population<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2020|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=June 8, 2021|archive-date=December 27, 1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/|url-status=live}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width: 5em;" |[[2010 United States Census|2010]] city population<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=Population 2010—Iowa Cities|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=August 4, 2011|archive-date=December 27, 1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/|url-status=live}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width: 5em;" |Change ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |[[Metropolitan Statistical Area]] ! scope="col" style="width: 5em;"|2020 metro population<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2020—United States—Metropolitan Statistical Area; and for Puerto Rico |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-date=December 27, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width: 5em;"|2010 metro population ! scope="col" style="width: 5em;"|2020 metro change |- align=right |align=center|1 |align=left|[[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] | {{change|invert=on| 214133 |203433}} |align=left|[[Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA MSA|Des Moines–West Des Moines]] | {{change|invert=on| 707915 |606475}} |- align=right |align=center|2 |align=left|[[Cedar Rapids, Iowa|Cedar Rapids]] | {{change|invert=on| 137710 |126326}} |align=left|[[Cedar Rapids MSA|Cedar Rapids]] | {{change|invert=on| 273885 |257940}} |- align=right |align=center|3 |align=left|[[Davenport, Iowa|Davenport]] | {{change|invert=on| 101724 |99685}} |align=left|[[Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA|Quad Cities]] | {{change|invert=on| 382268 |379690}} |- align=right |align=center|4 |align=left|[[Sioux City, Iowa|Sioux City]] | {{change|invert=on| 85797 |82684}} |align=left|[[Sioux City metropolitan area|Sioux City]] | {{change|invert=on| 144996 |143577}} |- align=right |align=center|5 |align=left|[[Iowa City, Iowa|Iowa City]] | {{change|invert=on| 74828 |67862}} |align=left|[[Iowa City metropolitan area|Iowa City]] | {{change|invert=on| 175732 |152586}} |- align=right |align=center|6 |align=left|[[West Des Moines, Iowa|West Des Moines]] | {{change|invert=on| 68723 |56609}} |align=left|Des Moines–West Des Moines |- align=right |align=center|7 |align=left|[[Ankeny, Iowa|Ankeny]] | {{change|invert=on| 67887 |45582}} |align=left| Des Moines–West Des Moines |- align=right |align=center|8 |align=left|[[Waterloo, Iowa|Waterloo]] | {{change|invert=on| 67314 |68406}} |align=left|[[Waterloo – Cedar Falls metropolitan area|Waterloo–Cedar Falls]] | {{change|invert=on| 168314 |167819}} |- align=right |align=center|9 |align=left|[[Ames, Iowa|Ames]] | {{change|invert=on| 66427 |58965}} |align=left|[[Ames, IA MSA|Ames]] | {{change|invert=on| 124514 |115848}} |- align=right |align=center|10 |align=left|[[Council Bluffs, Iowa|Council Bluffs]] | {{change|invert=on| 62799 |62230}} |align=left|[[Omaha – Council Bluffs metropolitan area|Omaha–Council Bluffs]] | {{change|invert=on| 954270 |865350}} |- align=right |align=center|11 |align=left|[[Dubuque, Iowa|Dubuque]] | {{change|invert=on| 59667 |57637}} |align=left|[[Dubuque Metropolitan Area|Dubuque]] | {{change|invert=on| 97590 |93653}} |- align=right |align=center|12 |align=left|[[Urbandale, Iowa|Urbandale]] | {{change|invert=on| 45580 |39463}} |align=left| Des Moines–West Des Moines |- align=right |align=center|13 |align=left|[[Marion, Iowa|Marion]] | {{change|invert=on| 41535 |34768}} |align=left| Cedar Rapids |- align=right |align=center|14 |align=left|[[Cedar Falls, Iowa|Cedar Falls]] | {{change|invert=on| 40713 |39260}} |align=left| Waterloo–Cedar Falls |- align=right |align=center|15 |align=left|[[Bettendorf, Iowa|Bettendorf]] | {{change|invert=on| 39102 |33217}} |align=left| Quad Cities |} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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