Steady rains fell most of Saturday in south central Iowa, with the region receiving needed precipitation. Area rain totals from Saturday:
Lake Red Rock – .91″
Knoxville – 1.17″
Pella – .82″
Indianola – .6″
Norwalk – .69″
Bussey – .87″
Tracy – 1.06″
Melcher-Dallas – .96″

Drought conditions remained severe locally with little change in the past week, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report released Thursday. Marion and Warren Counties remain in the 2nd of 4 tiers of dryness determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Drought Mitigation Center, and the majority of the region south and east of those counties also is rated as severe.

A more mild day is in the forecast today, with a warmup back into the 80s continuing in the afternoon hours daily through this weekend.