HAYWARD - For the first time in three months, no part of the Northland is in "extreme" drought.

Updated maps released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor show parts of northwestern Wisconsin that had been in an "extreme" drought since July have receded to "severe" drought.  "Extreme" is the third-highest of the four drought levels.

Meanwhile, an area of "severe" drought in north-central Minnesota, including part of Itasca County, has fallen to the lowest level, "moderate."

Overall, drought conditions persist in north-central Minnesota, most of northwestern Wisconsin, and western Upper Michigan.  Most of the rest of the Northland is abnormally dry.

For more information, visit http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.