More than an inch and a half of rain last week moved parts of Western Kentucky and those south of Louisville from moderate drought to mild drought.

But rain failed to move the Bluegrass or Eastern Kentucky regions out of their respective drought categories, according to weekly Palmer Drought Index.

The Bluegrass remains in moderate drought despite six-tenths of an inch of rain, and to the east, where even less rain fell, a severe drought remains, said Keys Arnold, a staff meteorologist at the University of Kentucky's Agricultural Weather Center.

More than five inches of rain are needed to take the Lexington area out of a drought, he said. In fact, the summer of 2008 was drier than 2007 when 13 inches of rain fell during the summer. Only 10 inches fell over the same time period this year, Arnold said.