4 Eastern States Seeing Worst Drought Ever

Four Eastern states are experiencing the worst drought on record, and there is little hope of relief until winter, President Clinton and government officials said Friday.

Weeks of withering heat without rain in the mid-Atlantic region have destroyed crops, stressed livestock, dried up wells and forced some areas to restrict water use.

Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island are parched by the worst drought on record, officials said. Meanwhile, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and West Virginia had the second-lowest rainfall from April to July since the government started collecting data 105 years ago.

“Throughout much of this country we have seen the worst drought since the Dust Bowl days,” Clinton said, referring to the mid-1930s drought that worsened the Great Depression.

Clinton said he had formed a drought task force to coordinate the administration’s response to the current dry spell. Senior Cabinet agency officials were to meet Monday to discuss relief efforts, the White House said.

Forecasters said there is little sign that the drought will ease before winter, when cooler temperatures allow moisture to soak into the soil. Currently, extreme heat is causing any rainfall to evaporate, officials said.

Eastern states reported precipitation levels from 8 to 18 inches below average for the last year. It would take two torrential, tropical storms, which is highly unlikely, to make up for the losses, officials said.

Forecasters expect a meager half-inch to 2 inches of rain to fall in the next two months.