11/15/2024

Drought in the U.S. is Extremely Severe

Only significant rainfall will help break the trend

The United States has been like a patch of drought in an otherwise waterlogged world over the past several months. And it may take flooding rainfall to reverse the long-standing dryness.

During October, about 72 percent of the planet experienced above average amounts of atmospheric moisture — a trend toward more water vapor in the atmosphere that’s consistent with a warming world. There was apocalyptic flooding in Spain, a powerful typhoon in Taiwan and Hurricane Milton in Florida. Hurricane Helene — which broke records for moisture content across six states — was also a good example of what happens when storms harness extra moisture and then rainfall is more destructive.

So, why might you ask, did parts of 40 states experience well below normal rainfall from August through October? And how much rain will be required to break the dry trend?

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.