Extreme drought again covered 7.23% of Puerto Rico this week, unchanged from the week before, the United States Drought Monitor reported. ^[1] The island's overall drought footprint eased slightly, with moderate drought coverage slipping from 20.49% to 19.95% and severe drought from 15.79% to 15.70%. ^{[2] [3] [4]} The worst conditions have not moved along the south and southwest: Salinas, Juana Diaz, Guayanilla and Cabo Rojo remain in extreme drought. ^[5] Heavy rain fell across much of southern Puerto Rico late in the evaluation period, with accumulations of 2 to 5 inches in the southwest and southeast, but the monitor left the severe and extreme classifications in place because of long-term rainfall deficits. ^{[6] [7]} The strain is most visible at the La Plata reservoir, which serves about 110,000 customers: its level has fallen nearly two meters over the last month and is still dropping 10 to 12 centimeters per day, while its watershed has run a 5-to-8-inch rainfall deficit over the past two months. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} The central government has ruled out water rationing for now, pointing to at least a 30-day supply of water in La Plata, and will await early-November rainfall forecasts before deciding on new measures. ^{[12] [13] [14]}