Well before Hurricane Isaac hit Louisiana and brought localized heavy flooding, the weather story of the summer was not about an abundance of water -- it was the lack thereof.

And it still is.

Farmers and residents in 40 states know this all too well, as this summer's blend of low rainfall and extreme heat has created a crisis for many. Over a recent six-week stretch, the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated 1,692 counties as disaster areas due to the drought. The department notes about 80 percent of agricultural land in the country is affected, making this year's drought more far-reaching than any since the 1950s.

The impact has been felt by farmers and ranchers nationwide, but they're hardly alone. Outdoor activities, commercial transportation and wildlife have been impacted by the drought, in myriad ways.

Central Illinois: Dozens of dead deer found along rivers and at watering holes

In a three-mile stretch of the Kaskaskia River -- a tributary of the Mississippi River about 80 miles southeast of Springfield, Ill. -- a group of people found 26 dead deer, according to local resident Karen Forcum, who reported these findings to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.

Many of the deer were tested by animal control officers and found to have a hemorrhagic fever -- likely brought on by disease-carrying gnats that thrive in drought conditions, Forcum said. They ended up dying at water sources, she added, in their attempts to cool their fevers, albeit to no avail. Similar deer deaths have been reported in Nebraska near the Lower Platte River, around a lake in Delaware, and elsewhere.

Other animals have also been affected by drought in the rural area known for its forests and farmland, with many fish kills, turtles and other animals reported dead. One of the few species to thrive are turkey vultures, feasting on the carcasses that suddenly abound.

"I think it's all in the hands of nature," said Forcum.

Lower Platte River in Nebraska: Riverbed now looks like a 'sand volleyball court'

It's not uncommon for the Lower Platte River to dip during the summer, as the hot weather expedites evaporation and irrigation waters flow to nearby farms. Even so, summer is supposed to be fun time in this swath of Nebraska, as people take to canoes and kayaks to enjoy the refreshing waters and great outdoors.

Not this year.

Parts of the Lower Platte look more like a sand volleyball court than a river, according to Meghan Sittler, the Lincoln-based coordinator of the Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance. That's due to a combination of intense heat and a dire shortage of rain, which has affected wildlife and those

The water was moving in other parts of the river, but just barely -- at a rate of about 250 feet per cubic second, compared to the norm of 6,000 feet per second, in late August. Sittler said it's not unusual for water temperatures to be in the 92 to 97 degree range.

All these factors have contributed to the deaths of "a huge number of fish," among them endangered pallid surgeon, said Sittler.

"This is very, very rare occurrence," Sittler said of conditions over the 103-mile swath of river her organization oversees.

Oklahoma and beyond: Produce running out months early at farmer's markets

More and more farmers markets have been popping up all over the United States in recent years, a testament to people's desire to buy fresh, locally produced food. That's been true in Oklahoma, where Nathan Kirby of the state's Department of Agriculture says there are over 70 farmer's markets, many of them proudly touting the fact that items for sale are "100% Oklahoma grown."

However, the last few years have been a struggle for vendors at these markets -- not because customers haven't been interested and showing up, but because Mother Nature has.

Last summer, the combination of high heat and lack of precipitation led many Oklahoma farmers markets to shut down mid-summer because of a lack of vendors. It's not quite as worse this year, though Kirby (who coordinates with the markets from his state-funded position) says many of them had hardly any produce left to sell by August.