The drought maps say . . . There are different ways of defining and measuring drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor, which describes its mission as "providing a consistent big-picture look at drought conditions in the United States," splits drought into five categories. In increasing levels of intensity, they are abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought. Virtually all of Minnesota and North Dakota, most of Montana and South Dakota and northern and western Iowa are in one of those five stages. The western half of North Dakota, northwest Montana, northeast South Dakota and extreme northwest Iowa are particularly hard hit, according to the Drought Monitor, a joint effort of the National Drought Mitigation Center, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.