The percentage of exceptional drought in the state was the highest since the United States Drought Monitor began tracking the data in 2000.

The fire was exacerbated by the outflow of Tropical Storm Lee in conjunction with exceptional drought.

Corn production in the U.S. is expected to dramatically decline in 2012 due to widespread extreme to exceptional drought.

During exceptional drought large portions of this river may flow underground, with scattered pools of surface water.

The Sabinal River maintains surface water even during exceptional drought, so fish and other aquatic animals are present.

Ranchers in areas with exceptional or extreme droughts will qualify for higher levels of assistance.

Those regions are generally suffering extreme and exceptional drought - the protracted kind of bone-dryness that makes any kind of agricultural livelihood seem untenable.

Furthermore, 95% of the state faced an extreme or exceptional drought, according to the office of the Texas state climatologist.

In 2008 and 2009, much of south and south-central Texas were in a state of exceptional drought.

What exceptional drought means is that people deep into middle age, lifelong residents of the area, have never ever seen it so dry.