• Brookings, S.D. - Drought conditions worsened this week as Exceptional Drought (D4) was introduced in the worst hit areas of southeastern South Dakota on the U.S. Drought Monitor, released on September 6. The brief respite from the cooler temperatures of a couple of weeks ago was short-lived, as high temperatures and a shortage of rainfall returned in late August and early September says Laura Edwards SDSU Extension Climate Field Specialist.
• "This is a significant change in the depiction of drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor," Edwards said. "D4, or Exceptional Drought, is reflecting drought conditions that typically occur only once every 50 years or so."
• Edwards adds that changes in drought conditions statewide led to large scale de

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