NAHUNTA, Ga. (AP) — Some of the destructive wildfires tearing through Georgia this week are being fed by not only a persistent drought, but al…

Wildfires have intensified intensifying across the U.S. Southeast. More than 50 homes have been destroyed in Georgia. The fires also have forced evacuations. Some of the biggest blazes are along Georgia’s coast and around Jacksonville, Florida. Drought and strong winds are fueling the fires. Georgia’s two largest wildfires have burned over 33 square miles. In Brantley County, more evacuations were ordered Wednesday on top of 800 evacuations that had taken place. So far, there have been no major injuries reported. In Florida, firefighters are battling more than 130 wildfires that have burned 39 square miles. The National Weather Service warns that low humidity and winds will keep the fire danger elevated.

Desert canyons in eastern Utah will be churning this spring with huge volumes of water in a desperate attempt to keep a reservoir on the Colorado River generating electricity. Federal officials plan to release enough water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming and Utah to lower its level by as much as 27 feet over the next year. The goal is to bring up the level of Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah line. A decades-long drought has Lake Powell at just 23% capacity and approaching the point where water won't be able to flow into its turbines without air causing damage.

Drought in the contiguous United States has reached record levels for this time of year, weather data shows. Meteorologists said it's a bad si…