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. Rainfall that fell on Tuesday and Thursday missed the 8 am cutoff on Tuesday, and will be taken into account in the next report. Neighboring communities also saw no change in the latest update. Severe drought is still in place for the majority of Clarke, Jasper, Lucas, and Mahaska counties, while moderate drought is in effect for the majority of Monroe, Madison, and Polk Counties.

According to the National Weather Service, dry and cooler conditions are expected through the weekend before a chance for rain returns to the forecast by early next week.