Record drought strikes U.S. Pictures A cow looks for something to eat as it grazes in a dry pasture southwest of Hays, Kansas on July 6, 2012. A new report shows the drought gripping the United States is the widest since 1956. The monthly State of the Climate drought report released on July 16, 2012 by the National Climactic Data Center says 55 percent of the continental U.S. is in a moderate to extreme drought. That's the most since December 1956, when 58 percent of the country was covered by drought. Credit: Steven Hausler,AP Photo/The Hays Daily News