Drought Still A Problem, But Getting Better

The recent rains and light snows across Iowa and Illinois are helping with the drought situation, but both states still need much more moisture as we head into winter.

Across Iowa, 79% of the state is still "abnormally dry", but this is down from 89% last week.  55% of Iowa is still experiencing a "moderate drought" (yellow shading), which is down from 68% last week.

22% of Iowa is still under a "severe drought" (tan shading).  This is down from 27% last week.

Here's some more good news.  Last week, 2% of Iowa was listed under an "extreme drought" and that has dropped to zero.

In Illinois, the drought situation is present, but it's not as bad as Iowa.

74% of Illinois is still experiencing "abnormally dry" conditions, which is basically the same as last week.

A "moderate drought" (yellow shading) still covers 25% of Illinois, but that is down from 38% last week.

3% of Illinois is under a "severe drought" (tan shading).  Last week, that number was at 7%.

A decent rain maker is coming in this weekend and that will help those numbers drop even more when the next update comes out a week from today.

CBS4 Meteorologist Anthony Peoples