The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor has been released and the grip the drought has had on Wright County continues to grow.

In mid-July, half of Wright County was downgraded from the Severe Drought designation to Extreme Drought. For two weeks it remained that way, with the north half of the county deemed in the Extreme category while the southern half remained in the Severe designation.

The monitor released this morning has expanded the bands of Extreme Drought in several areas, now including all of Wright County with the exception of the extreme southern portion of the county.

While there is a chance for rain later today and this weekend, the extended forecast from Weather.com doesn’t bode well. Projected out as far as Aug. 19, there isn’t a day with more than a 50 percent chance of rain and, from Aug. 9-19, there isn’t a day forecast with a 25 percent chance of precipitation.

Go to the Wright County Facebook page to see the last month’s worth of weekly drought maps to see how the severity of the drought is continuing to expand.