According to the new drought monitor, 9% of the continental U.S. is in exceptional drought which is the worst drought level possible. This is the largest area of excpetional drought on record.  At least since they've been keeping these type of records (at least the 1950s). I would think that it was worse in the dust bowl era of the 1930s.

Drought Statistics
--281,000+ square miles in drought
--An area equal to the 13 Northeast states and Washington D.C.
--7.54% of U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico) in "exceptional drought"

For the past few months, Texas and the Southwest was the main drought region.

An incredible 65% of Texas is covered by the worst drought category including Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Brownsville, Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, and Wichita Falls.

The drought is now touching Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. 86% of Florida is in some sort of drought. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam calls it the worst drought since Florida was ravaged by wildfires in 1998.

Erdman says, "Southern drought outside the Desert Southwest is difficult to quench in summer. The most frequent, concentrated thunderstorms with significant rainfall typically occurs in the northern or central U.S. in the summer months. However, any system arriving from the tropics, especially if it’s a slow-mover, can quickly reverse a significant drought."

The previous record was 7.58% (continental U.S.) set in 2002. I see plenty more hot dry weather in much of these areas for another week. The end of June and the rest of summer look closer to normal for Georgia, maybe just a little above-normal averaged over the July-September period.

For a graphic of the drought areas click here: Atlanta not alone in heat wave and dry start to summer - Atlanta Weather | Examiner.comhttp://www.examiner.com/weather-in-atlanta/atlanta-not-alone-heat-wave-and-dry-start-to-summer#ixzz1PedT2Epn