Drought covers 55 percent of the U.S. – the highest percentage since the Drought Monitor launched in 2000.
According to the Drought Monitor, following a drier-than-normal September for a majority of the contiguous U.S., dry conditions continued into early October for many areas, and now covers more of the nation than it has since April.
More than 133 million people live in drought areas, which is the highest number since 2016. That’s primarily because highly populated regions like the Southeast and Midwest are now experiencing droughts.
The ongoing drought conditions have been particularly bad for farmers in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. This has taken a serious toll on farmers and livestock producers. The record-setting hot temperatures this summer did not help production either, reports ABC affiliate KTBS.com.
The hot and dry conditions caused livestock producers to lose 50 percent of their hay yield. Their hay yield period goes as late as November and the winter forage begins.
The winter months are the prime growing season for grass and clover. With dry conditions, the soil cannot produce that grass. This means ranchers will have to either sell their cattle or use alternatives, like protein or lick buckets.
This situation creates a never-ending spiral. Using alternatives means they have to pay to feed their cattle, which eventually raises beef prices for consumers.
California is ground zero for the drought in the West, reports the Washington Post. The entire state is experiencing at least moderate drought conditions, while a little over 40 percent of the state is seeing extreme drought conditions.
These conditions stretch from the Los Angeles area to the Central Valley all the way up into the Shasta Cascades and southern Oregon. The last three water years have been the driest in the history of the state.
Additionally, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, and Utah are experiencing extreme drought conditions, and any sort of relief is not likely any time soon, though some rainfall is expected in parts of Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico over the weekend.
Only 10 percent of the High Plains – that include the states of Colorado, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas – are drought-free.
Firefighters and farmers in Nebraska have been battling wildfires, including the Bovee Fire, which has burned more than 18,900 acres — torching a campground and killing at least one person, according to reporting from NPR.
The south, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee has seen worsening drought conditions over the past year. A year ago, less than half of this region was under drought conditions, and now, only 6 percent is drought-free.
Most people don’t associate Hawaii with drought conditions, but 90 percent of this state is abnormally dry. The U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook expects drought conditions to persist and worsen this month.
Generally, the rest of the country is experiencing pockets of drought but nothing as regionally widespread. In the Southeast, nearly all of Alabama, Georgia and parts of the Florida Panhandle are seeing abnormal dryness
And drought conditions in Missouri and Minnesota, as well as in parts of the High Plains and South, have lowered the Mississippi River to its lowest level in at least a decade. Little drought relief is expected in the coming weeks anywhere in the Mississippi River basin.
