Drought persists in South and Southwest

Doane posted the following item on our content site (http://agfax2.com):

Drought persists in South and Southwest 5/25/2006 -- The U.S. experienced the warmest April on record, according to data from the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The previous record for April was set in 1981. Dry conditions accompanied the warm weather across large portions of the South and Southwest. At the end of April, moderate-to-extreme drought affected 31 percent of the contiguous U.S., an increase of 5 percent from March. Nebraska's state climatologist said this week his state needs rain immediately. Al Dutcher says that the current U.S. Drought Monitor puts a good portion of eastern and north-central Nebraska out of drought, but these areas have not received significant spring moisture and are abnormally dry.

Click here to see the most recent drought monitor maps.