"ST. LOUIS -- The worst drought in the U.S. in decades may be leveling off or even be easing ever so slightly in some lucky locales, federal weather forecasters announced Thursday in a report of little comfort for farmers and ranchers who already have begun tallying this year's losses."
"While the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center calls for the drought to linger in the nation's breadbasket and parts of some mountain states at least through November, it provided a silver lining with the news that conditions aren't expected to get worse.
Conditions may even improve in the Southwest and in a band sweeping from South Dakota through a section of Iowa and east to southern Indiana, then south to Texas. Some areas have seen rain and cooler temperatures in recent weeks, although one forecaster cautioned he doesn't expect enough extra rain to end the drought."
Jim Suhr reports for the Associated Press August 16, 2012.
SEE ALSO:
"U.S. Crops May Get a Welcome Drink Next Week" (Reuters)
"Impact of U.S. Drought on Crops May Be Peaking, Vilsack Says" (Bloomberg)
"Drought-Bruised U.S. Crops Get Minor Relief From Cool Snap" (Reuters)
"The Right Kind of Rain Could Cure U.S. Drought" (Reuters)
"Snow in August? It's Steamy Now, But Forecasters See a Big Winter Coming" (Christian Science Monitor)
"Weather Gone Wild" (National Geographic)
"Despite Crop Insurance, Drought Still Stings Farmers" (NPR)
"Competing Against The Nicest Guy In Town" (NPR)
