ST. LOUIS (AP) - Holiday storms that pounded much
of the nation with snow and rain did little to ease the overall grip of
the worst U.S. drought in decades.
The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report released
Thursday shows that about 61% of the continental U.S. remained in some
form of drought as of Tuesday, down less than a percentage point from
the previous week. That number has been above 60% largely since July.
More than 21% of the lower 48 states are in extreme
or exceptional drought, the two worst categories. That's down slightly
from the previous week.
All of Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota are in drought.
But some areas in the Southeast are emerging from drought after heavy rains since Christmas Day.
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