Election officials were encouraging voters to dry off before filling out ballots to avoid problems, and damp ballots were being allowed to dry before being tabulated, said Ryan Enright, a spokesman for Virginia's Board of Elections.

CNN: Movie star among voters running into problems

He said a "lucky window" of four days in May when dry weather had allowed him to fill his barn with silage for the winter, whereas his neighbouring farmer had suffered six weeks of "relentless" rain.

BBC: Devon farmers 'struggling to feed their families'

United Utilities project manager Jason Boyd said the company had been taking out "what we've been allowed" but water removal had caused the rivers to run dry in past summers.

BBC: River Brennand

Before you set out, check with the ranger to make sure fires are allowed (sometimes it's too dry and the fire danger is too high).

NPR: Forget The Granola: Camp Cooking Goes Gourmet

The absence of tight oversight has allowed makers of herbal products to flourish, particularly in Utah, where the dry desert air helps keep raw materials and pills and capsules fresh, and where land and skilled labor have been relatively inexpensive.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

That has allowed those byproducts to participate in a secondary market whereby they can be recycled and used for such things as cement and dry wall.

FORBES: Coal Ash Spilling Into Obama and Romney Race