Dry conditions expand northward

The National Drought Mitigation Center releases the drought monitor every week.  A couple weeks ago northern Illinois had been placed under the abnormally dry category due to the lack of rain during the first half of July.  Last week, however, the flooding rain came for some residents and pretty much took care of any drought conditions that were going to develop.  At the same time, southern Wisconsin lacked in those rains and are now under the abnormally dry category (as indicated by last week's drought monitor).

This week's drought monitor shows that dry conditions have actually developed a little further to the north and are now present over southern Iowa and central Illinois.  Texas and the southwest, unfortunately, will see no relief from both the heat and drought as high pressure will shift over the southwest this weekend.

That dome of hot air that was centered in the middle of the country for the month of July is likely the reason for the drier conditions expanding north.  Hopefully with the pattern change expected this weekend and next week we'll be able to get some rain to parts of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.  Unfortunately, it doesn't look as if there will be any help for the extreme drought stricken Texas and Oklahoma.  In fact, a report released from the National Drought Mitigation Center stated that "nearly 12 percent of the contiguous U.S. fell into the 'exceptional' classification during the month of July.  That level of drought had never before been seen in the monitor's 12 year history" said Brian Fuchs, UNL assistant geoscientist and climatologist at the NDMC.  Click here to read the full article.