For the first time this summer, extreme drought conditions have been reported within the KCII listening area.

As extreme drought conditions creep closer to Washington County, the driest areas continue to be Jefferson County and the southern portion of Keokuk County. Over 59% of Jefferson County has reported extreme drought. Keokuk County is seeing 13.21% of the area classified as extreme drought, and 87.79% severe, an increase of more than 70% since last week.

Drought conditions in the entirety of Washington, Louisa, and Henry Counties are listed as severe. Just 39.85% of Washington County was under severe drought conditions last week, whereas the number was 75.79% in Louisa County. This is the second-straight week in which 100% of Henry County has been reported as severe.

Meanwhile, Johnson and Iowa Counties are experiencing their first areas of severe drought for the year. Approximately 22.03% of Iowa County and 58.2% of Johnson County are under severe drought conditions.

As severe and extreme droughts intensify in southeast Iowa, the estimated population of those living in drought areas has grown to over 227,000. To view the drought outlook in your county, as well as the rest of the state, click here.