from Virginia to Massachusetts, extending even as far west as Ohio, exceptionally dry weather conditions threaten eastern United States with drought. The National Weather Service has blamed the stagnant high-pressure system over the south-eastern part of the country for the lack of rain this summer. Conditions were no better last year which resulted in plants shrivelling up and fish dying in the hot streams.

In mid-July, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Virginia and Maryland issued drought alerts or warnings, and the National Weather Service placed the New York city on a drought watch. The lack of rainfall threatens crop yields and the long-term health of trees. Federal officials have also warned of "very high' possibility of fire.

According to the National Weather Service, rainfall in June and July has been the lowest in more than a decade. However, they are not as bad as it was in the four-year drought period in the early 1960s. Experts say that a solution may be at hand but not very soon. It would take the precipitation from two, possibly three, hurricanes to bring moisture levels back to normal.