Severe U.S. drought by the numbers

Summer 2012 has been a season of severe drought across the continental United States. More than half of all U.S. counties have been designated primary disaster areas this growing season, mostly due to drought. Food prices are rising, crop yields are falling, and no one is quite sure when relief will come. A by-the-numbers look at drought conditions across the nation shows a parched country desperate for rain.

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