Rain and snow helped alleviate dry conditions across much of the Northern Plains, but extreme drought conditions worsened inareas not receiving this moisture. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought conditions in North Dakota worsening to reflect growing moisture deficits. That extreme drought now covers 76 percent of the state, an increase of six percentage points from the previous week. Sargent and Richland Counties had a slight improvement in dry conditions. In Minnesota, locally heavy rainfall in the last week brought a two-category improvement in dryness across the western side of the state. There is also no more extreme drought in Kittson County.
