PIERRE — Extreme drought has expanded across northern South Dakota. The D-Three level drought now takes up most of northern Dewey and Ziebach Counties along with parts or all of Harding, Perkins, Meade, Corson, Campbell, Walworth, McPhereson, Edmunds and Potter County. Severe drought is noted in southern Dewey and Ziebach, northern, Haakon and Stanley, Potter, most of Sully and northwest Hyde. Moderate drought is listed in southern Haakon, most of Jackson and Jones, Lyman, southern Stanley, Hughes, most of Hyde and all of Hand, Buffalo and Brule. Abnormally dry conditions are being seen in southeast Jackson, Mellette, Tripp and southern parts of Jones and Lyman Counties. South Dakota’s topsoil is 68-percent rated short to very short which indicates soil moisture is significantly less than needed for normal crop development.
