Drought Is Getting Worse

The drought conditions across Illinois and Iowa are worsening.  If it doesn't rain in the Quad Cities today, it will be the 31st consecutive day without measurable rain.

In the update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, 39% of Illinois is now in a "moderate drought", which is up from 21% last week.

2% of the state, including Hancock, Henderson, and Mercer counties are now in a "severe drought".  Last week, no part of Illinois was in that category.

In Iowa, while the percentage of the state in a "moderate drought" increased slightly this week to 63% from 60% last week, the big story is the spike in the percentages under a "severe drought".

This week, 32% of the state falls into that category, which is depicted in the darker shading in the map above.  Last week, only 22% of the state was in a "severe drought".

CBS4 Meteorologist Anthony Peoples