Summer rain deficit at 9 inches for ECI

MUNCIE -- A nine-inch rainfall deficit since May 1 has turned Delaware County into a severe drought area.

In addition to the usual brown lawns this time of year, some crops are stunted, some tree leaves are turning yellow and falling and the slow-moving White River looks green.

 All of East Central Indiana lies within a severe drought area, according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map, released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday.