BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Weeks of dry, hot weather have plunged the Deep South further into a drought that's affecting more than 11 million people and threatening crops across the region, a new assessment showed Thursday.

The latest report from U.S. Drought Monitor showed arid conditions worsening across a five-state area from Louisiana to South Carolina .

Conditions are particularly bad in Alabama and Georgia, where nearly the entire state is too dry. Areas around the suburbs of Birmingham and Atlanta are particularly hard hit. The National Weather Service on Thursday reported record temperatu...