December starts out dry

Cattle graze in a dry field Wednesday near Adams Road North and Road 9 NW, east of Quincy. According to preliminary data from the National Weather Service, the first 11 months of the year have left the area a bit dry. Measured at Moses Lake, the area received 5.98 inches of precipitation since Jan. 1 as of Tuesday. That is 1.73 inches less than normal. Last year at this time, precipitation totaled 6.13 inches.