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Utah's drought situation improves slightly

Utah drought map 8/27/21
Posted at 9:47 AM, Aug 27, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-27 12:34:05-04

SALT LAKE CITY — Recent rainstorms have helped to improve Utah's drought situation slightly.

READ: Utah town completely runs out of drinking water

The latest drought map, released Thursday, shows a large swath of southwestern Utah has moved from "extreme" and "exceptional" drought to "severe." Last week, 1.25% of the state was in "severe" drought. This week? It's 11.93%.

Last week, 50.5% of the state was in exceptional drought. Today it’s 43.69%, according to Utah's Department of Natural Resources. "Extreme" and "exceptional" drought are the two worst drought categories.

However, all of the state remains in drought conditions. Earlier this week, DNR executive director Brian Steed told FOX 13 that long-term climate models showed a warmer, drier winter which could extend the drought into next year.