Rain eases drought as Midwest corn harvest unfolds
Farmer fights drought in Lawrence, Kan.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 09/13/2012
-
By: Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) - The latest update on the nation's worst drought in decades shows that farmers bringing in their weakened corn crops caught some relief with recent rains that soaked much of middle America.
The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map shows two-thirds of Iowa now in extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories. That's because the amount of that state in extreme drought rose slightly while the swath in exceptional drought remained unchanged at 2.4 percent.
The worst two drought categories held steady in Nebraska, at 97.4 percent of the state, and were nearly unchanged in Illinois, at 6.67 percent. Missouri's numbers dropped more than 6 percentage points, to 25.20 percent.
The land area in the lower 48 states in extreme or exceptional drought remained at about 21 percent.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PRINT
Top Weather Headlines
-
Storm Shield: Stay ahead of the storms
Storm Shield is a life-saving app that acts like a NOAA Emergency Weather Radio on your iPhone or Android.
-
How to help trees fight high winds
Heavy rain and high winds downed trees around the metro this weekend, but arborists say there is a way to keep trees from being so vulnerable.
