COLDWATER (WTVB) Officially, it’s really, really dry in Branch County. The U.S. Drought monitor has now added most of the bottom half of the Lower Peninsula to the area suffering moderate drought, but most of Branch County and half of St. Joseph County have been elevated, or if you prefer, downgraded to the severe drought area.Michigan is at the top of a dry zone that includes most of Indiana, Illinois and stretches as far south as Texas. Deke Arndt at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's national climatic data center says it’s the result of unusual weather conditions that reach all the way back to last year. He says the 12 months that ended last month from July of a year ago turned out to be the warmest year long period observed in theU.S.since 1895.  He says its resulted in the driest summer in years and he doesn’t see much relief in the future, predicting more records set on the warm end rather than the cold side of things for the next few decades. Forecasters are calling for a chance of showers this weekend, but say it’s only a small chance, and it’s not for the prolonged kind of soaking rain that the area really needs.