Eugene has had extremely little rainfall this year, making 2012 the second driest summer in Eugene’s history. Barely any rain fell in Eugene in July, August, or September. The national weather service has warned that extreme fire danger is a result of this dry period.

The heat hasn’t just affected Oregon, however. In fact, the first eight months of 2012 were the hottest on record across the U.S. This summer, 40 out of 50 states had drought-designated counties and almost two-thirds of the nation experienced severe drought conditions. 80 percent of agricultural land in the U.S. has been affected by drought, therefore making food prices higher. The severity of drought in the U.S. is a 30 percent increase from last year.