US Drought - worst since 1956

That map, via Climate Central, is an explanation of what is making this summer's drought so intense: plants have given up more moisture by evaporation and transpiration than they have gained in rainfall. The loss is exacerbated by the heat. Climate Central provides a set of six maps, of which this is the final one, each with a careful explanation, setting out the extent and consequences of the drought, which is now being called the worst since 1956.