From dry rivers to dead deer, drought's impact felt everywhere

By Greg Botelho, CNN

updated 12:09 PM EDT, Sun September 16, 2012

The drought has had a negative impact on corn in Le Roy, Illinois. The record-breaking drought is expected to drive up food prices by 2013 due to lower crop harvests.

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Extreme heat, drought ravage Midwest

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The drought has affected 40 states and 80% of all U.S. farmland, the USDA says
• It has also led to the deaths of hundreds of fish, as lakes and rivers dry up
• Water levels in several rivers and lakes dropped dangerously low

(CNN) -- Well before Hurricane Isaac hit Louisiana and brought localized heavy flooding, the weather story of the summer was not about an abundance of water -- it was the lack thereof.

And it still is.

Farmers and residents in 40 states know this all too well, as this summer's blend of low rainfall and extreme heat has created a crisis for many. Over a recent six-week stretch, the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated 1,692 counties as disaster areas due to the drought. The department notes about 80% of agricultural land in the country is affected, making this year's drought more far-reaching than any since the 1950s.

The impact has been felt by farmers and ranchers nationwide, but they're hardly alone. Outdoor activities, commercial transportation and wildlife have been impacted by the drought, in myriad ways.

Drought of 2012 conjures up Dust Bowl memories

Central Illinois: Dozens of dead deer found along rivers and at watering holes

In a three-mile stretch of the Kaskaskia River -- a tributary of the Mississippi River about 80 miles southeast of Springfield, Illinois -- a group of people found 26 dead deer, according to local resident Karen Forcum, who reported these findings to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.

Many of the deer were tested by animal control officers and found to have a hemorrhagic fever -- likely brought on by disease-carrying gnats that thrive in drought conditions, Forcum said. They ended up dying at water sources, she added, in their attempts to cool their fevers, albeit to no avail. Similar deer deaths have been reported in Nebraska near the Lower Platte River, around a lake in Delaware, and elsewhere.