The Raccoon Valley Radio listening area has had some much-needed rainfall this week, but unfortunately the drought conditions persist.

According to the United States Drought Monitor, as of Thursday the majority of Dallas County is under moderate drought conditions. However, the northern portion of the County, including Perry, is only abnormally dry. Guthrie County is split down the middle, with the eastern half under moderate drought and the western half abnormally dry. In Greene County, the northern two-thirds of the County are experiencing moderate drought, with the southern third abnormally dry. Additionally, Adair County is mostly under a moderate drought, with just the northwestern corner abnormally dry.

The conditions are worse in southern Iowa, where several counties are under extreme drought, including the southeastern part of Madison County. Over 70% of the state is abnormally dry or worse, which is a slight improvement from nearly 72% last week. However, the areas of the state under moderate drought or worse is up to 45% this week, up from 40% last week. A year ago, only 14% of the state was abnormally dry or worse, with a mere 1% experiencing moderate drought or worse.

In the last week, Perry has had .28 inches of rain, and there’s been .61 inches total this month. Typical August rainfall up to this date is 2.15 inches for Perry. Guthrie Center had .3 inches of rain last week, and a total of 2.06 inches for the month. The City typically has 2.43 inches of rain over the same time period.