PIERRE — For the second straight week drought conditions have improved across central South Dakota. While most of the middle of the state is still in severe drought an area of extreme drought from the Philip area to north central South Dakota has been removed. The only extreme drought in central South Dakota runs in a ribbon from southern Brule County to Woonsocket to Madison. Extreme drought remains in northwest South Dakota along with a pocket in north central South Dakota along the North Dakota border. Moderate D-One level drought is seen in western Haakon, most of Jackson along with Jones, northern Mellette, most of Lyman, southeast Hughes, western Brule and Buffalo and southern Hand and Hyde Counties. Areas of no drought are depicted in northeast South Dakota and south of Sioux Falls. Kingsbury County is currently in four stages of drought with abnormally dry conditions in the north and extreme drought in the southwest part of the county.
