As much as 88 percent of the state is affected by the bad weather

Jun 15, 2012 14:38 GMT  ·  By

A report published by the US Drought Monitor indicates that nearly 88 percent of arable surfaces in Indiana are plagued by drought. The situation is extremely severe and becoming even more so by the day, experts comment.

The new document was released this Thursday, on June 14, and contains data provided by the US Department of Agriculture, valid up to Tuesday, June 12. The dataset describes the most current state of affairs around the country in terms of water availability, and is updated weekly.

Since the last issue of the report, drought-affected areas in Indiana have increased by 40 percent. The only unaffected region – a small cluster of 11 counties – is located in southeast Indiana. In the southwestern parts of the state, five counties are rated as experiencing severe drought.

“We should not fall into false security if we get rain. Every passing day we are losing more moisture from the soil because of the growing crops. It will take time, conservation and much-needed rains to reverse,” state climatologist Dev Niyogi explains.