Southern drought creeping northward

[inanna]

Source: AP

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- The drought that has plagued the Deep South for more than a year is creeping northward, and officials in multiple states are restricting outdoor burning in the face of water shortages and forest fire risks from falling leaves and tinder-dry conditions.

Extreme drought conditions, the second-worst possible, have now spread into Kentucky, and severe conditions have returned to West Virginia and southwest Virginia, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

"The last three months have sucked every bit of moisture we've had," said Ben Webster, a fire staff assistant for the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

In eastern Kentucky, retailers are sending bottled water to drought-stricken Magoffin County after its primary water source, the Licking River, fell to low levels and residents were told to conserve tap water.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DROUGHT_WORSENS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-10-17-19-26-54

[demnan]

1. This is a huge problem

My brother lives in rural Northern Georgia and has well water. It has failed a few times this year and last year. Many people in this region have well water and are facing the loss of their water from this drought.

[VoodooGuru]

2. Forest fires can be really nasty in West Virginia.

I remember a fire season (1987, maybe?) when it seemed like the whole state was just blanketed in smoke. It was everywhere you went, you couldn't escape it anywhere.

This is no joke, and all it takes is for somebody to be careless or malicious to start a fire that can consume hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land in flames.

[KoKo]

3. Kick for our fellow Americans in Bush America....Weather doesn't report this to the rest of us...

Thanks for post...and we went through this for over a year in Eastern NC...before it broke. (who knows how long it will last with our rain before we are back in drought, again) Praying for you...

[Roland99]

4. We've had all of 2" since the first of August

[izquierdista]

5. Look on the bright side

Soon you won't have to drive out west for views like this: