The Drought Continues, Despite Some Abatement

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 23, 2012 9:50PM

Take a look at this screenshot from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Drought Monitor. Anyone know a good rain dance?

63 percent of the country remains in some level of drought as of Aug. 21, but it's all that fire engine and blood red in the middle that has farmers concerned. The drought of 2012 now ranks fifth among the top 10 to affect the country, is the worst since 1956 and has been compared to the Dust Bowl if the 1930s. We know how the drought has affected crops and food prices across the nation; in Illinois 98 of the state's 102 counties have been declared disaster areas.

There is some optimism to be taken from the map, but that depends on how much of an optimist one is. The National Drought Mitigation Center's Mark Svoboda said in a press release the percentage of the country in severe or extreme drought has decreased, while southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and the mid-atlantic states are starting to see abatement from the arid weather.