BOSTON -- The drought affecting the Northeast United States is getting worse in some areas.

The U.S. Drought Monitor's latest map for the region shows that the area in extreme drought has expanded across most of northeastern Massachusetts, including Boston, and into southern New Hampshire. Two areas of New York, from the Buffalo area east to the Finger Lakes, and a portion of the state's Southern Tier, are also in extreme drought.

Extreme is the fourth worst of five drought categories.

The region is New England, the Middle Atlantic states, West Virginia, Delaware and Maryland, although the latter three are barely affected.

About 57 percent of the region is in drought, down from 60 percent last week.

The monitor is a collaboration of federal agencies and the University of Nebraska's National Drought Mitigation Center.

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