Newest Drought Monitor

After record breaking rain in June, the beginning of July also started off on the wet side, but now it's been a good two weeks since we've had a good rain. The newest drought outlook was just released this morning and there are some changes within it. Portions of south and central Wisconsin are now highlighted under the abnormally dry category. Going from about 5% last week to just over 26% this week. A very small percentage of northern Illinois is also highlighted, with the far Northwest portion of Jo Daviess county accounting for less than 1% of the state. We could see the worsening condition continue for Illinois next week with the Climate Prediction Center highlighting the central Plains and Midwest for an increased chance for below normal precipitation for the next two. The good news is that for the month of August, it looks like we will see about average precipitation overall. The next chance for rain is Friday with a chance for a few passing showers in the afternoon. We could see an isolated storm or two on Saturday but it really looks like we will stay dry. Best timing in the 7-day period looks to be Sunday into Monday, but then the dry conditions return Tuesday and Wednesday.