Burning Ban Lifted, Sussex No Longer in Extreme Conditions

The U.S Drought Monitor's latest report on Wisconsin's drought, which came out Thursday morning, showed conditions improving in parts of Wisconsin, and that includes Sussex. 

Luckily, Sussex officials have taken notice, and as of August 1, the village’s has been lifted. Residents itching to finally light those 4th of July fireworks and have an old-fashioned bonfire can thank the recent bouts of rain.

However, although the burning ban has been lifted, the are still in place. The village asks that people with an even-numbered address only water on even dates, while odd-number addresses do the opposite.

Nearly all of southeast Wisconsin was in an extreme drought at the end of July, but that line has receded south and now shows Waukesha County's northern two-thirds improving to severe drought status. The line is defined in part by I-94, with those areas south of that corridor remaining under extreme drought status.

Recent rainfall that has brought three to four inches of rain over the past two to three weeks has helped alleviate some of the concerns, but we're not out of the woods yet.

The area south of I-94, which includes Waukesha and about 25 percent of Waukesha County, was still listed in the extreme drought category.  

The news for Sheboygan County and far northern Ozaukee County was even better, as their status was downgraded to moderate drought.