PIERRE — Warm temps and a lack of rain has accelerated the expansion of drought across South Dakota. This week’s update of the U-S Drought Monitor for the state shows the return of extreme, D-3 level drought from Bon Homme County up into eastern Brule County. Severe drought in Brule County went from 78=percent last week to 100-percent this week and severe drought went from zero to 50-percent. Severe drought has grown too into Lyman, Buffalo, Tripp Counties. Severe drought now makes up 73-percent in Buffalo; 20-percent in Lyman and two-percent in Tripp. Moderate drought now extends from western Dewey County down to Lyman, Tripp, Buffalo Hand, Hyde, Hughes and parts of Stanley, Mellette and Jones County. Hughes County has seen moderate drought expand by 85-percent this week to 90-percent. Not far away however are areas of no drought. Jackson County is 98-point-five percent in no drought followed by Haakon at 55-percent, Ziebach at 24-percent and Mellette at 18-percent.
