Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding

The drought forced many trees and shrubs into dormancy and created water shortages in many towns. A severe drought struck the Southeast from through Light precipitation continued into the spring of , with Atlanta, Georgia recording their driest first six months on record. High amounts of precipitation during the winter of ended the drought. The Western United States experienced a lengthy drought in the late s. California went through one of its longest observed droughts, from late through early Drought worsened in , as much of the United States also suffered from severe drought.

Another significant drought in the United States occurred during and Another reason was pumping groundwater near the depletion mark. The drought of destroyed crops almost nationwide, residents' lawns went brown and water restrictions were declared many cities. The Yellowstone National Park fell victim to wildfires that burned many trees and created exceptional destruction in the area. This drought was very catastrophic for multiple reasons; it continued across the Upper Midwest States and North Plains States during , not officially ending until The conditions continued into and , although the drought had ended in some states thanks to normal rainfalls returning to some portions of the United States.

The drought of was so devastating that in later years it was compared against Hurricane Andrew in and against Hurricane Katrina ; [40] [41] in addition, it would be the costliest of the three events: The drought of qualifies being the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. During the Southeastern United States experienced high temperatures and conditions of drought for extended periods. The Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions had a drought during , which was accompanied by dry conditions, wildfires and hot temperatures over the Western US and Midwest areas. Denver was forced to impose mandatory limits regarding water for the first time in twenty-one years, as Colorado and other states in the Southwest were hit particularly hard by the severe drought conditions in The rain season in Southern California was the driest since records began in San Diego recorded only 2.

Records were broken in an even worse drought just five years later, during the rain season in Los Angeles 3. The drought also affected Saskatchewan , Manitoba and Alberta , in Canada. Droughts vary in severity and have potential for causing elevated to exceptional damage wherever they focus their area toward.

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There were extensive droughts through the s decade all over the Southeastern United States , continuing as far westward as Texas. The Southeastern United States were affected by heavy droughts extending from the Carolinas toward Mississippi and even into Tennessee and Kentucky. Droughts affecting Florida were so severe that lakes were actually drying out. Wildfires, forest fires, and brush fires were very prevalent in association with the s decade drought in the Southeastern United States. The drought of in California contributed to the extreme severity of the California wildfires.

Missouri , Arkansas , portions of Louisiana , Tennessee , southeast Iowa and northern Illinois were hit with severe droughts and heat during The Quad Cities themselves received only In and , much of south and south-central Texas were in a state of exceptional drought. California also experienced a multiyear drought, peaking in , when a statewide drought emergency was issued.

Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding

Although reports of widespread agricultural losses were reduced in later analysis, large decreases were seen in many fish populations in the region, and additional reliance on groundwater in farming may have set the precedent for further damages in the California drought.

The California drought continued through and did not end until March See above for additional information on this drought. In and early , the California drought returned and intensified, expanding to much of the western US. In , many places in California set all-time low precipitation records, with very little measurable rain falling across much of the state from January into mid-February San Francisco nearly halved its previous annual record low in , receiving only 5.

The —13 and —14 winter snowpacks were among the lowest recorded in the last years. In January , the state cut allocations from its State Water Project to zero percent revised upwards to five percent in April , a record low, as reservoirs dropped to critical levels. In , wildfires burned over 7 million acres, primarily in the western U. In intense drought struck much of Texas, New Mexico and a large portion of the Southwest bringing much of the region its worst drought seen since the Dust Bowl years of the s.

Most of the drought in Texas ended or had it impacts ease by spring and summer as precipitation returned to the region, while the New Mexican drought continued unbroken into The Texas and Southwest U.

Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding - Digital Library

Drought of severe magnitude also affected a large portion of the Southeastern US, especially Georgia and South Carolina. In , much of the U. Meanwhile, severe to extreme drought developed in the lower Midwest and Ohio Valley as well as the southern and central Rockies. This led to large wildfires in Colorado including the record setting Waldo Canyon fire , the most destructive in Colorado history.

Drought conditions have led to numerous firework show cancellations and voluntary water restrictions in much of the Ozarks , Mid-Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. This further lead to the vicious cycle of reduced evaporation and decreased rainfall all through the spring of While the summer of was the second-warmest This intense heat wave contributed to the intensification of the drought particularly over the Midwest and the Northern Plains. High wheat prices caused by the drought have discouraged farmers from investing in alternative drought-tolerant crops.

In summer , severe drought affected the temperate New England and New York area, including a Massachusetts and New York drought that persisted into the fall. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. United States rainfall climatology. Drought , Precipitation meteorology , and Rain.

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