All non-essential watering is banned in 46. Fifty-three counties in the Kentucky and Licking river basins are under a water emergency that gives the state extraordinary powers to regulate use.
Every county is under a water shortage warning or watch.
Farmers have been hit so hard that all but 10 counties have qualified for federal cost-share money to bring water to livestock. On the plus side, the Central and Eastern climatological zones improved from extreme to severe on the weekly Palmer Drought Severity Index, which was updated last night. Credit spotty rain last week for the change. Only the Bluegrass region, which includes Lexington, remained in the extreme category. And the Eastern Kentucky rain has swollen the Kentucky River.