The drought outlook in southeast Iowa remained unchanged in the last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor from the National Drought Mitigation Center.

The only areas of extreme drought continue to be the western half of Jefferson County, with 35.26 percent classified as extreme, and a southern portion of Keokuk County at 13.21 percent.

Severe drought, one step below extreme in terms of intensity, is still seen in all seven area counties. Washington and Louisa Counties are seeing the largest percentages classified as severe, at 100 and 99.67 respectively. They are followed by Johnson County at 91.99 percent, Henry County at 87.57 percent, and Iowa County at 78.13 percent. Louisa, Keokuk, Iowa, and Johnson Counties are the only four in the area with land classified as being under moderate drought, or abnormally dry.

As drought conditions persist, the estimated population in these areas remained at just over 226,000. To view the drought outlook in your county, as well as the rest of the state, click here.