(Undated) -- Iowa's drought has deepened in the past week. This week's US Drought Monitor shows nearly all of Iowa as either abnormally dry or in some form of drought. The only exception is a small part of Southwest Iowa's Fremont County. This week's map shows nearly 25-percent of the state in extreme drought, -a large part of eastern and northeast Iowa and part of southeast Iowa. Central Iowa's in either moderate or severe drought.
The area of moderate drought has expanded in parts of northwest and western Illinois. Most of the northern half of Illinois is abnormally dry.
The National Weather Service is predicting sunshine today (Thursday) with daytime highs in the 70s to low 80s. Isolated showers and storms will be possible in western Iowa Thursday night. The forecast calls for warmer temperatures and sunshine this weekend, with storm chances returning later in the weekend and cooler temperatures.