110[degrees] in the shade: drought sears the Southeast: Mother Nature turned up the heat on the South in the summer of 2007. For the region's large agricultural sector, the long, hot summer was a season of discontent.(Cover story) From: EconSouth | Date: September 22, 2007| Author: English, Ed | COPYRIGHT 2007 www.frbatlanta.org. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

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The dark red splotches on the U.S. Drought Monitor map vividly depict the experience of the Southeastern United States in the summer of 2007. Like cloudy spots on an x-ray, these patches indicating a lack of rain are foreboding for many of the region's climate-sensitive industries.

Other colors on the map also indicate less severe droughts across the country, but the dark red hovers only over the Southeast (see the map on this page). Th...