Worst drought in decades getting worse this fall - KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

Worst drought in decades getting worse this fall

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Written by Kera Mashek, Multimedia Journalist - bio | email

The nation's worst drought in decades is getting worse in parts of the Midwest. It's especially frustrating for ranchers and winter wheat growers in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Nearly 60 percent of land in the lower 48 states is experiencing some degree of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The drought conditions have intensified in Kansas, the top U.S. producer of winter wheat. The expanse of that state in extreme or exceptional drought -- the two worst classifications -- rose roughly 6 percentage points to 83.8 percent in the past week alone.

Nearly 76 percent of Oklahoma is mired in the two highest forms of drought, up 8 percentage points in the past week.

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