BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, USA (AP) — Weeks of a hot, dry climate have caused drought to sharpen in the southeastern United States, which now affects more than 11 million people and puts the region’s crops at risk, according to a new assessment spread by the thu See. The most recent report from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed that arid conditions have worsened in an area spanning five states, from Louisiana to South Carolina.
Conditions are particularly bad in Alabama and Georgia, where almost the entire state suffers from extreme drought. Areas in the suburbs of Birmingham and Atlanta have been particularly affected. The National Weather Service on Thursday reported record temperatures in several Alabama cities: Montgomery with 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit); Troy with 37oC (98oF), Tuscaloosa at 36oC (97oF), Birmingham and Anniston at 35.5oC (96oF). The drought extends from northern Florida to the southeast of the Great Lakes region. Much of Texas and the Southwest are also dry. Some areas have been without heavy rain for weeks. Farmers say dry weather affects their crops and Alabama has declared a statewide fire alert for extremely dry weather. About 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Birmingham in Montevallo, sprinklers operated at full power in a commercial nursery of approximately 81 hectares (200 acres), Green Valley Farms, which is close to the driest area in the south. A few miles away, April Herbert watched her 1-year-old Collins son throw rocks into a partially dry lake in a park in Helena. The dried leaves that are usually green at this time of year covered the earth under the trees.” It’s terrible,” he said. “I’m afraid we’ll go straight from summer to winter without autumn.” The Department of Agriculture said grazing land, hay fields and soybean crops are drying up because of the drought, and that some farmers have fed their animals with hay in the absence of grass. Most crops are still in good or acceptable condition despite the rain, the agency said.
Although lake levels have fallen, no water restrictions have been implemented in the region.
The National Weather Service said most places in Georgia and Alabama had below-normal rainfall during August, and the temperatures of the month reached up to 1.6 degrees Celsius (3 Fahrenheit) above average in August Georgia.
