by Javed baloch source: Earth observatory nasa
images source: Unsplash
An exceptionally dry and droughty October 2024 affected over 78% of Americans across the contiguous U.S. This marks the largest population impact recorded by the U.S. Drought Monitor in 25 years.
More than half the U.S. faced severe dry conditions in October. The drought had expanded from 12% to 54% of the country by month-end, the U.S. Drought Monitor map showed.
According to the Southeast Regional Climate Center, over 100 weather stations, including Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Dallas, recorded zero rainfall, and 70 of them recorded the driest October on record.
Lower precipitation and abnormally high temperatures intensified drought in a matter of weeks, a phenomenon NOAA calls "flash drought." High temperatures across the Plains and South were 10-12°F above normal.
Flash droughts have become more frequent and severe since the 1950s, likely due to climate change, says meteorologist Jason Otkin.
“This fall has been a prime example of flash drought across parts of the U.S. These events can take people by surprise because you can quickly go from being drought-free to having severe drought conditions.” Jason Otkin, meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison