Washington - Three western US states had their warmest July on record and less rain than usual, worsening a drought that has spread to nearly half the United States, government climate experts said Wednesday. Although 20 of the 50 US states - generally those in the east - were cooler than average last month, the share of the continental United States with "moderate to exceptional" drought increased to 46 per cent, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Eighty percent of the US Southeast was in drought, with northern Alabama the worst-hit region, NOAA said.
The northern Rocky Mountain states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho had the warmest July ever, the agency said, and drier-than-average conditions in the region gave the western wildfire season an "early and extremely active" start.
More than 5 million acres (2 million hectares) had burned in the contiguous US by early August, NOAA said.
July 2007 was the 15th-warmest July for the US since records began in 1895. The global average temperature was the seventh warmest on record for July, the report said.
