Severe drought conditions remain in place for nearly the entirety of Marion and Warren Counties in the latest weekly update. 

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor Report, all of Marion county continues to see severe drought, while just shy of 97% of Warren County faces the third highest rating on the national scale. Neighboring communities also saw no relief in the latest update, with severe drought still in place for the majority of Clarke, Jasper, Lucas, Mahaska, and Monroe counties. Just over half of Madison County and just over 3/4ths of Polk County remain in moderate drought conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, dry conditions are expected through the weekend before chances for rain return to the forecast Monday afternoon into the middle of the week.