North Texas goes 59 days without rain

DALLAS (AP) -- A 59-day dry spell surpassing the Dust Bowl days of the Great Depression has turned lawns crispy brown, evaporated reservoirs and cost farmers and ranchers an estimated $595 million -- and forecasters aren't predicting relief anytime soon.

With not even a hint of rain to settle the dust Monday, the North Texas dry spell that began July 1 set a new record and is expected to stretch into September.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who has declared 153 Texas counties either primary or contiguous agricultural disaster areas, was scheduled Tuesday to look at crop damage at a farm near Fort Worth, about 30 miles west of Dallas.

"We've been in record territory for over a month now," said Mike Williams of the Tarrant Regional Water District in Fort Worth. "I'm not sure you can put enough water on things now to keep them green."

"What we need is a good steady rain," said Polly Drozd, whose family owns a marina on Lake Lewisville near Dallas.