Photo: US Drought Monitor
(Undated) -- This week's U-S Drought Monitor shows drought conditions are worsening in Iowa. The report shows 97% of the state as either abnormally dry or in some level of drought. That is the same coverage area as last week. Seventy-three percent is in moderate drought, nearly 16% is in severe drought. Those percentages have worsened from last week. Rain is not in the short-term forecast.
Nearly all of Iowa is under a Red Flag Warning until 7 p.m. tonight, due to dry, windy conditions, and an extreme fire danger. The National Weather Service is predicting SW winds of 20-30 mph, gusting to 45 mph for the rest of the day and early this evening.
Fifty-nine Iowa counties are under burn bans, according to the Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office.