A look at drought conditions across the continental United States, according to The U.S. Drought Monitor.

Staff Report

WARSAW – If there is an upside to this weekend’s heavy rains in northern Indiana, it is this:

While much of the nation – especially the western third of the United State – is baking under extreme drought conditions, the lower portions of the Great Lakes region continues to be in good shape.

Nearly 98% of land across 11 Western states is abnormally dry, and more than 90% is covered by some category of drought—the worst levels in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s 21-year history, according to a report on Bloomberg.com.

Conditions in Michigan are significantly drier compared to Indiana.

A flash flood watch by the National Weather Service has been extended until 8 a.m. Sunday.

The National Weather Service predicts a strong chance of rain into next week

All maps in this article were updated as of Thursday, June 24.

A look at Michigan and Indiana drought conditions, according to The U.S. Drought Monitor, which is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.