Thirteen of Oregon’s 32 counties are feeling the effects of extreme to severe drought as we enter August, arguably the hottest month of the year.
This year, Gov. John Kitzhaber has declared drought emergencies in nine counties: Crook, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Malheur and Wheeler. Coos, Curry, Douglas and Deschutes are also reeling from the dry summer.
Oregon counties started filing drought emergency declarations back in February after a unseasonably dry winter.
But the state is only a small part of the U.S. that’s suffering. The New York Times’ Upshot blog reports about 34 percent of America was in at least a moderate drought as of July 22:
“There has been little relief for some places since the summer of 2012. At the recent peak this May, about 40 percent of the country was abnormally dry or in at least a moderate drought.”
The blog produced an interactive timeline to see the spread of the drought throughout the U.S. this summer.
What's interesting, though perhaps not surprising, about the spread of the drought in the Northwest is those areas hit hardest are experiencing some of the worst wildfires in the country.
The New York Times' Upshot blog features an interactive timeline that shows that spread of the drought throughout the country.
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