Record drought keeps grip on U.S. states

LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The percentage of land suffering from exceptional drought reached record levels in August in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, scientists said.

A record 81.08 percent of Texas was facing exceptional drought as of Aug. 31, Brian Fuchs of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said.

Oklahoma at 69.1 percent and Kansas with 17.4 percent also experienced record high-level marks for exceptional drought, a university release said Wednesday.

The report comes amid concerns about how long the drought conditions may linger.

"It's alarming to drought watchers," Fuchs said, noting the increasing likelihood of the drought keeping its grip on the region through the coming months, which are typically wet and mild.

"Even if we enter into a mild La Nina pattern, it's still taking a bad situation and compounding it."

"The fall and winter in that area is typically a time for recharging," he said.

"Not if this persists."