If you think the summer of 2016 has been more hot and dry than normal, the US Drought Monitor agrees with you, placing Calhoun County and a significant portion of Lower Michigan in the 'moderate drought' category.

The designation was officially made on July 7 by the US Drought Monitor and includes Calhoun and Jackson County in a wide swatch of area under drought conditions that stretches to Saginaw Bay. The Detroit Metro and a portion of the Lake Michigan shore around Ludington are also experiencing drought conditions. An estimated 3.7 million Michiganders are under the drought.

A portion of Kalamazoo County is included in the less-severe 'abnormally dry' designation. Cass and St. Joseph Counties are the only two in the Lower Peninsula that don't carry any dry/drought conditions.

Michigan Drought Monitor July 2016
National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln/USDA/NOAA
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