Impacts of 2012 Drought & Heat Thus Far

By Alex Sosowski, Meteorologist, Accuweather.com

Credit: Accuweather.com

Impacts of 2012 Drought & Heat Thus Far

July 22, 2012 Updated Jul 21, 2012 at 1:40 PM PDT

The fifth worst drought and one of the hottest summers on record is already taking its toll on agriculture and consumers. The biggest impacts may be yet to come.

The drought is making its way up the ladder from a historical perspective in the amount of real estate. As of July 19, 2012, about 64% of the lower 48 states was experiencing moderate or more extreme drought conditions.

Dozens of all-time record high temperatures have been set this summer and the season is currently on pace to be the third hottest summer since 1950.

The drought and heat this summer are impacting some people more than others. However, either directly or indirectly it is or will eventually touch just about everyone.

To read the rest of this LiveScience story click here.

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