Extreme drought is moving north into parts of Graves and Calloway counties in western Kentucky. Another area of extreme drought is expanding across parts of Carter and now Ripley County in southeast Missouri. Extreme drought is also found in Henry, Benton, Humphreys and Houston counties of northwest Tennessee.
Severe drought is creeping further from far southeast Missouri into the Purchase and Land Between the Lakes areas.
Moderate drought extends across southeast Missouri, far southern Illinois and much of the rest of western
Kentucky.
Between 40 and 60% of topsoil and subsoil is considered short or very short of moisture across southeast Missouri and western Kentucky.
There are reports that farmers are hay feeding to supplement where pastures struggle. Some crop loss is expected.
A weekend forecast of up to two inches of rain, especially along the Kentucky-Tennessee border, could help slow the drought's expansion.
Due to recent rainfall, some burn bans have been lifted across the region. The cities of Hardin, Marion and Murray in Kentucky have burn bans. Always check with local officials before burning.
(The cutoff for precipitation incorporated into the weekly drought monitor is Tuesday morning.
The weekly drought monitor is issued on Thursday morning.)
On the Net:
National Weather Service drought information page
