Devastating drought spreads from Texas into the US Midwest

A DEVASTATING drought deepened over the last week in many areas of Texas, spreading through more of the plains and going into the Midwest, as triple-digit temperatures baked already thirsty crops and livestock.

The Corn Belt states of South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana saw drought develop quickly as the important corn-growing region got only spotty rainfall amid the high heat, according to the weekly US Drought Monitor, produced by a consortium of national climate experts.

Abnormal dryness intensified to moderate drought over the last week, the report said.

Texas remained the epicenter of the unprecedented drought, with climate data showing the state suffering its driest 10 months ever in over a century of data, according to the report.