ATLANTA (AP) — Six months into a drought across much of the South, the weather is killing crops, threatening cattle and sinking lakes to their lowest levels in years.
The very worst conditions are in the mountains of northern Alabama and Georgia. But it's spread downhill and across 13 southern states, from Oklahoma and Texas to Florida and Virginia, putting about 33 million people in drought conditions, according to Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor.
It's also causing wildfires, charring more than 12,000 acres in Alabama in the last 30 days.
The South has historically enjoyed abundant water, which has been fortunate, because much of its soil is poor at holding onto it.
But the region's booming growth has strained this resource and the drought is making it worse.