November 8, Associated Press – (National) Drought tracker: Dryness worsens in Kan., Okla.
The worst U.S. drought in decades got worse in Kansas and Oklahoma, further frustrating ranchers and growers of winter wheat, an update from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed November 8. The latest map showed that dry conditions intensified in Kansas, the top U.S. producer of winter wheat. The update showed that the expanse of Kansas in extreme or exceptional drought climbed roughly 6 percentage points, to 83.8 percent. Three-quarters of hard-hit Oklahoma — another key winter wheat state — was mired in the two highest forms of drought, up 8 percentage points from the week of October 29. Thirty percent of Oklahoma's fledgling winter wheat crop was found to be in poor to very poor shape, a decline of 18 percentage points from the week of October 29, as topsoil moisture in the State continues to grow increasingly parched. Ninety-five percent of Nebraska and half of Iowa remained in the two worst drought categories, according to the update.
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-11-08/drought-tracker-drynessworsens- in-kan-dot-okla-dot