Little short-term drought relief in S.D.

Drought conditions across South Dakota are almost unchanged from the previous week, a drought report released on May 9 says.

Areas of severe to extreme drought have declined in South Dakota since the previous week, but only slightly, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor released on May 9.

The monitor is maintained by the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb. The report measures drought on a scale ranging from abnormally dry to moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional.

In recent months, spring moisture has lessened drought conditions across South Dakota. Just three months ago, the entire state was in moderate drought or worse. At that time, about 64 percent of South Dakota was in extreme drought or worse and about 30 percent of the state was in exceptional drought, the most severe category.

As of 7 a.m. on May 7 — the data cutoff for the May 9 drought report — about 88 percent of South Dakota was in a moderate drought or worse, but only about 21 percent of the state was in extreme drought or worse and none of the state was in exceptional drought.

A spring thunderstorm that soaked the Mitchell area with more than an inch of rain on May 8 was not factored into the report.