The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, Sept. 29, indicates some continuing improvement in conditions, especially for the northeast corner of the state and parts of north-central and northwest Kansas. Almost all of Barton County and much of the surrounding area continue in moderate/severe drought with most of Stafford and Rice Counties in severe drought. This is as of Tuesday, so most of the rains from Tuesday forward won’t show up until next week’s report. The six-to-10-day forecast (Oct. 6-10) indicates a 40-60% chance of above-normal temperatures and 33-50% of below-normal precipitation. The eight-to-14-day forecast (Oct. 8-14) indicates a 40-60% chance of leaning above normal for temperatures and a 33-50% chance of leaning below normal for precipitation.