Bich Nguyen catches a smallmouth bass at Gavins Point Dam on the Missouri River near Yankton, S.D., June 13, 2012. North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, which in the past have brought lawsuits to reduce water being released from dams to boost recreation, are once again battling downstream states facing a severe drought and low water levels that threaten commercial traffic along a 180-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill. Jay Pickthorn/Argus Leader/AP
A barge powers its way up the Mississippi River Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, in St. Louis. A top US Army Corps of Engineers official has ordered the release of water from an upper Mississippi River reservoir in an effort to avoid closure of the river at St. Louis to barge traffic due to low water levels caused by drought. Jeff Roberson/AP
Debbie Blythe feeds cattle on her farm near White City, Kan., on Nov. 20, 2012. Ms. Blythe is among the thousands of farmers looking for alternative ways to feed their animals this winter after one of the worst droughts in US history dried up grasslands in much of the country. The drought also curtailed hay production, making it harder and more expensive for farmers to buy supplemental feed. Orlin Wagner/AP
Darrell Francis walks on what was the bottom of a pond on his ranch near Perrin, Texas, Nov. 29, 2012. A dry fall, on track to make the record books, has sent portions of Texas, including Houston and Fort Worth, back into severe drought, raising concerns about wildfires and the health of wheat crops and tree farms, climatologists say. Ron Jenkins/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram/AP
A gust of wind picks up dust in the remains of a poor harvest of soybeans. Wrapped plastic, the bales of soybeans will help ranchers feed their cows during the lean months that may come if there is no rain. Julie Denesha/The Washington Post/AP
A light colored head of cattle bellows as it's calf follows along at the Gill Cattle Co. pasture in rural Parker County near Springtown, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012. Cattle are being bred with genes from their African cousins who are accustomed to hot weather. LM Otero/AP
Gov. Pat Quinn speaks while holding ears of drought-stricken corn during a news conference at the Laird Family Farm in Waltonville, Ill., on July 16. Quinn says the state will offer an array of debt restructuring and loan programs to farmers and ranchers affected by the drought. Joel Hawksley/The Southern Illinoisan/AP
Miami County farmer Jimmy Wilson shows the effects of the prolonged heat and drought on ears of corn in one of his fields Monday, Aug. 6, 2012 near Peru, Ind. Wilson says that short ears like these, not much longer than his fingers, will likely slip through the head of the harvester and not be collected. Jeff Morehead/Peru Tribune/AP
In this May 9, 2012 photo provided by Donna Wiltsie, a bear searches a porch for food in Catskill, N.Y. With their normal summer diet of greens and berries shriveled by summer heat and drought, hungry bears in New York and other states have been rummaging through garbage, ripping through screens and crawling into cars in search of sustenance. Donna Wiltsie/AP
Terri LoPrimo poses for a photo on the painted lawn in her front yard in the Staten Island borough of New York, Thursday, July 26, 2012. When this summer's nationwide drought turned her prized lawn brown, LoPrimo fought back in a new way: She had it painted green. Mary Altaffer/AP
In this July 20, 2012 photo, spring and fall calves are auctioned off at the Burwell Livestock Market in Burwell, Neb. The 2012 drought has dried up grazing land and corn fields and ranchers are selling off their cattle earlier than usual to avoid the high costs of feed. Alyssa Schukar/The Omaha World-Herald/AP
Grain bins in Pleasant Plains, Ill., are silhouetted against approaching storm clouds on July 26, 2012. The clouds, however, contained little water to help alleviate a deepening drought, the most widespread dry spell to grip the United States in decades. Seth Perlman/AP
Sand bars that are usually under water are now exposed on the Mississippi River, where water levels were near record lows as of Aug. 7, 2012. Barge traffic headed up and down the river has slowed, and loads are being cut back. Robert Ray/AP
A cow wears a fly mask June 28 at the Triple H Wagyu farm near Bloomington, Ind. A mild winter combined with hot summer temperatures and drought conditions have increased the number of flies pestering area livestock. The fly masks, usually worn by horses, will keep the flies away and make the cow more comfortable in the extreme heat. Steph Langan/Bloomington Herald-Times/AP
Two barges carefully pass each other on the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Miss., Thursday, July 26. 2012. In a switch of extremes, the river has dropped to very low levels unlike last year when it flooded much of the Delta. The exposed sand, sand bars and riverbeds have caused traffic to slow to a crawl. Rogelio V. Solis/AP
David White, a farmer since he was 13, looks over his drought-stricken corn crop in Geff, Ill., on July 16. White says he has never experienced such extreme drought, forcing him to declare this year a 'total loss.' Robert Ray/AP
A helicopter drops water on the north flank of the Fontenelle Fire outside Big Piney, Wyo., July 4. More than 800 firefighters are working 15-hour shifts battling the fire that has exceeded 56,000 acres. Record fire danger and long stretches of the red flag warning days have made it challenging to control. Jim Urquhart/Reuters
Drought-damaged corn is seen near Lawrence, Mich. on Friday, July 27, 2012. The federal government earlier declared most of Michigan a disaster area because of damage to fruit crops. Robert Ray/AP
Boats sit on the cracked bottom of a dry cove at Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, Ind., July 16. The reservoir is down nearly six feet from normal levels and being lowered one foot every five days to provide water for Indianapolis. Michael Conroy/AP
Traders react in the Corn Options Pit at the CME group in Chicago July 11 after the US Department of Agriculture updated its crop production. A scorching drought across the Midwest will slash corn yields by much more than most analysts had expected, the government said in a report that reignited a record rally in grain prices. John Gress/Reuters
Maureen Pauly-Hubbard of Madison, Wisc., a Green Iowa AmeriCorps member, cools off in front of a misting fan before the Freedom Festival fireworks on July 4 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Parts of Iowa are facing moderate drought as dry, hot weather continues with high temperatures near 100 degrees. Liz Martin/The Gazette/AP
Some of the hundreds of totally-destroyed homes are seen in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 28. Rick Wilking/Reuters
Jason McClure of McClure's Orchard and Winery waters recently-planted apple trees July 3 in Peru, Ind. Because of the dry conditions, McClure has to water the trees to keep them healthy. Jeff Morehead/Peru Tribune/AP
Kim Gundry, owner and operator of Meadowbriar Stables in Newburgh, Ind., sets up feed grains for the horses in her stables on June 26. Despite some recent showers, June 2012 marked the driest June ever recorded in Evansville, according to the National Weather Service. Erin McCracken/The Evansville Courier & Press/AP
A toad rests on algae on what was once the bottom of Honey Creek in Terre Haute, Ind, June 20. Lack of rain has drastically reduced the flow on southern Vigo County creeks. Jim Avelis/Tribune-Star/AP
Cattle rancher Gary Price watches his herd as they seek shade in 103 degree heat on his ranch in Blooming Grove, Texas, June 23. A recent stretch of devastating drought in Texas and fears of ongoing water scarcity across many parts of the United States are pushing Price and others in ranching and farming into new frontiers of water conservation. Carey Gillam/Reuters
A sign reminds residents of a housing development on the prairie to conserve water based on an odd/even system due to drought, June 10 near Rapid City, S.D. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Steve Niedbalski chops down his drought and heat stricken corn for feed on July 11 in Nashville Ill. Seth Perlman/AP
The drought of 2012 was more about unusual weather patterns than global warming, says a study. But its authors acknowledge the record-smashing event likely will be a puzzle for years to come.
Last summer's record-smashing drought in the US heartland was driven far more by natural variability in weather patterns than by global warming, according to a new analysis by a team of federal and university researchers.
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-06-16
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-Day-0615
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-06-14
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Erin-go-bragh-images-of-Ireland
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Weather-extremes-2013
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-06-13
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Children-s-labors
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Wildfires-2013
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-06-12
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Turkey-s-discontent
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Venezuela-after-Chavez
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/James-Whitey-Bulger-on-trial