Drought Monitor June 25th (Rel. 6/27)

Nationally, 54.6% of the contiguous United States is experiencing some level of drought, down from 62.6% last week, also an improvement from late March before much of the drought set in.

MIDWEST

The Midwest, overall, increased about 5% from last week, but since the beginning of April has seen significant relief, with drought conditions dropping from over 65% three months ago to just 27% now. This mid-term decline was led by the Eastern Corn Belt with 3% of the Midwest in Moderate Drought, almost all of which is latitudinally south of Iowa's southern border.

STATE LEVEL ANALYSIS

Ohio has seen a jump in drought coverage from 55% to nearly 80% in just a week, while Indiana's drought conditions have increased from 74% to 81%. Illinois has also experienced a significant rise, with drought conditions expanding from 44% to 54% primarily in the abnormally dry category. In contrast, Iowa is showing further recovery, reducing its drought coverage from over 30% last week to under 20% now, continuing its significant improvement from earlier in the year as recent storms have continued to pay down Iowa's moisture deficit from last year.