Much needed rain fell across the region Saturday.
The Salem Water Plant recorded a total of 79-hundredths of an inch of rain and the Centralia Water Treatment Plant 74-hundredths of an inch.
The rain more than doubles the rain most of Marion County has received during the first half of December and is above the total half-inch rain both the Centralia and Salem Water Plants recorded for November.
The latest Illinois Drought Monitor report from Thursday showed 99-percent of Marion County in severe drought. The only exception was a portion of the Centralia area that was in moderate drought along with northern Washington and all of Clinton County. The rest of the region remains in severe drought with the exception of southeast Jefferson and southern Wayne County that are also at the moderate drought level.
