Parts of Kossuth County in Extreme Drought

Updated national maps now show there are two areas of extreme drought in Iowa that includes part of Kossuth County.

The state climatologist says the areas in the northwest and east-central Iowa have missed out on widespread heavier rains.

According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, which produces the maps, conditions have deteriorated significantly in several large patches of Iowa and Minnesota over the past week.

Most of these areas have had up to six inches less than normal rainfall during the past 60 days and up to eight-and-a-half inches short of normal since early May.

In northwest Iowa, the extreme drought zone includes the far NW corner of Kossuth County, nearly all of Emmet County, as well as portions of Clay Dickinson, and Palo Alto Counties.

All of Butler and Franklin Counties are now classified as in extreme drought, along with adjacent areas in Grundy, Hardin, Floyd, Cerro Gordo, Bremer,  Black Hawk, Marshall, Wright, and Chickasaw Counties.