Hamilton County falls to D4 drought category

Upper Big Blue NRD reports ground water levels dropping

Corn plants in a non-irrigated field east of Hampton curl in the afternoon heat last week. Dryland crops in the county are at a critical stage for want of rain.
Corn plants in a non-irrigated field east of Hampton curl in the afternoon heat last week. Dryland crops in the county are at a critical stage for want of rain.

Despite recent showers and thunderstorms across the area bringing much-needed precipitation to some fields, the drought situation still looks grim in Hamilton County which has slipped to the most severe category on the National Drought Monitor map.  The latest map released on Thursday shows all of Hamilton County to now be in exceptional drought (D4) along with parts or all of more than 20 co…