Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

According to the latest assessment from the U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to severe drought conditions are now present across the Tri-State area.

Over the past week, parts of the area have been downgraded to "severe drought." 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture a "severe drought" category is defined as the following; crop or pasture losses likely; fire risk very high; water shortages common; water restrictions imposed.

The National Weather Service reports the following departure from normal precipitation totals from Jan 1 to May 31, 2012; Quincy -6.65"; Canton -4.11"; Hannibal - 7.57" and Monroe City -6.11".

The news continues to look bad when assessing the 6 to 10 day precipitation outlook, with the Tri-State area falling in the 40 to 50% below normal category for the period of June 27 to July 1, 2012.

For a complete report from the USDA and The National Weather Service log on to http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/?n=drought.