BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Weeks of dry, hot

weather have plunged the Deep South further into a drought that’s affecting

more than 11 million people and threatening crops across the region.

An assessment released Thursday by the U.S.

Drought Monitor shows arid conditions worsening across a five-state area from

Louisiana to South Carolina.

Conditions are particularly bad in Alabama

and Georgia, where nearly the entire state is too dry. Areas around the suburbs

of Birmingham and Atlanta are particularly hard-hit.

Drought conditions extend into northern

Florida and the southern Great Lakes region. Much of Texas and the Southwest

also are too dry.

Some areas have gone weeks without

substantial rain. Farmers say the dry weather is hurting their crops, and

Alabama has declared a statewide fire alert because of extremely dry weather.