Is the Drought Over in South Dakota?

An expert says the West River blizzard and rain throughout South Dakota have pretty much eliminated the drought from the state.

But the end of the drought came at a high price.

Laura Edwards, an Extension Climate Field Specialist at South Dakota State University, says the U.S. Drought Monitor map shiows only what she calls "lingering abnormally-dry conditions in some areas," which she says are carried over from summer.

Edwards says more than 2 inches of rain have been reported since October 1 in just about every corner of South Dakota, with southeast and south-central sections of the state showing the east amount.

But the high cost of that moisture is highlighted by State Climatologist Dennis Todey, who notes "extensive livestock losses" in the western counties, along with temporary delays in the corn and soybean harvests in the east.

So just as "there ain't no free lunch," there doesn't appear to be any free precipitation, either. At least not lately.