Rain this week, coming after an exceptionally dry winter and April, should give a boost to backyard gardeners and provide a brief reprieve from what has become an almost omnipresent wildfire danger in the San Diego County.
Drought is tightening its grip across the American Southwest as extreme conditions spread from Oklahoma to Utah, according to new federal data released Thursday. On the southern high plains, Oklahoma remains ground zero for the worst drought conditions in the United States. About 20 percent of the state is facing exceptional drought conditions — the worst possible classification. Most of Colorado also is under severe drought and almost all of the Texas Panhandle is seeing extreme drought or worse conditions.
