Some other projections
Colors are for % change in precipitation.
Colors in Northeast below are for the number of droughts of each length.
For example, in the top left box, there are generally 5-25 droughts of 1-3 months duration, during the 30 years. In the top right box, there are no projected droughts of 6 months or more during the 30 years, in the base case.
Epic Winter Drought Creates a Bleak Situation for US Farmers — and Your Food 0426.rtf
2026 So Far - the Hottest and Driest in U.S. History 0426.rtf
An Unusually Bad Winter Drought Grips the U.S. 0126.rtf
Recent US Droughts Hit Top Cattle Counties Hardest 1225.rtf
Why It’s Been So Dry in the U.S. over October 2024 to April 2025 - 0425.rtfIt’s Not Normal for the East Coast to Be on Fire 1124.rtfWhy the U.S. Has Gotten So Dry, So Fast — and What Could Reverse It 1124.rtfIn a Parched US, Human-Triggered Wildfires Are Poised to Thrive 1124.rtfNearly All US States Face Droughts 1124.rtfThe Mississippi River Running Low Again Is Problem for Moving Beans and Grain 0924.rtfSaltwater Wedge Climbing the Mississippi River Threatens Drinking Water 0923.rtfAmerica’s Most Crucial Waterway Is Drying Out 0723.rtfDrought Hits the Midwest, Threatening Crops and the World’s Food Supply 0623.rtfThe Mississippi River and Its Tributaries Have Dropped to Record Lows 1022.rtfMighty Mississippi Is So Low, People Are Walking to Tower Rock Island 1022.rtf‘The worst we’ve seen’ - Ranchers Threatened by Historic Heat and Drought 1022.rtfThe Northeast Is in the Middle of an Intense Drought 0822.rtfNew England’s ‘Flash Drought’ Got Worse. Experts Worry It’s Just the Start. 0822.rtf‘Flash Droughts’ Are Midwest’s Next Big Climate Threat 0522.rtfFrom Drinking Water to Farms, Drought's Effect Creeping across Missouri 0718.rtfDeep South Drought Kills Crops, Threatens Herds 1116.rtfClimate Change Unleashes Interstate Water Wars 0520.rtf - Supreme Court cases: Tenn. vs Ala., Fla. vs. Georg., etc.US Droughts, Area Affected, in %, by Severity - Annual 1st, then weekly. Data is from U.S. Drought Monitor.
Means since 2000 were 49.7% dry, 32.0% drought, 18.7% severe, 7.8% extreme, 1.7% exceptional. Droughts stem from low rain and high temperature (evaporation).
Below, note Southeast US drought in 2007-8 (maps far below), North American drought in 2002-4 (farther below), and 2011-13 drought across much of the US. In 2007-8, Texas was wet and the Midwest was moister than usual. In 2002, due to the drought, North American plants absorbed 50% less CO2 than usual.
Epic Winter Drought Creates a Bleak Situation for US Farmers — and Your Food 0426.rtf
2026 So Far - the Hottest and Driest in U.S. History 0426.rtf
Record Western US Snow Drought Portends Spring Water Shortages, Wildfires 0226.rtfDrying-Up Rio Grande Basin Threatens Water Security on Both Sides of Border 1125.rtfMore than Half of US Northwest in Severe, Extreme Drought, Especially Oregon 0925.rtfIncreased Drought Drives Avian Community Declines in Warm US Deserts 0725.rtfClimate-Driven Water Impacts in US West to Raise Cost of Decarbonizing Grid 1124.rtfColorado BasinTexasCaliforniaWill the West’s Top Renewable Power Source, Water Power, Survive the Drought? 1022.rtfAs Rio Grande Shrinks, El Paso Plans for Uncertain Water Future 1022.rtfDrifting Toward Disaster - the (2nd) Rio Grande 0922.rtfDrought Threatens Coal Plant Operations - and Electricity - across the West 0822.rtfThe Vanishing Rio Grande – Warming Takes Its Toll 0622.rtfYes, the US West’s Drought Really Is That Bad 0522.rtf2 Wyoming Rivers under Restrictions due to Low Snowpack, Drought 0422.rtfDrought in U.S. Is Expected to Persist, and Spread, Through the Spring 0322.rtfThe Drought in the Western U.S. Could Last until 2030 - 0222.rtfWestern Drought Is Worst in at Least 12 Centuries 0222.rtfA Federal Drought Relief Program Left Southern Oregon Parched 1121.rtfLake Tahoe Water Level Hits 4-Year Low, amid Drought.rtfGreat Salt Lake’s Demise Spurs Water Emergency for Utah 1021.rtfClick for moreGlobal Warming Connected to California Drought, Winter's Polar Vortex 0414.rtf
Colorado River near ocean
2026 So Far - the Hottest and Driest in U.S. History 0426.rtf
Phoenix Nears Dry Spell Record as Drought Conditions Worsen 0125.rtfPhoenix Is Not Only Record Hot, 2023 Brings It Its Driest Start to Summer 0823.rtfSince 2000, Colorado River Lost Enough Water, to Extra Heat, to Fill Lake Mead 0723.rtfLake Mead at 29% of Capacity, Lake Powell at 24% 1022.rtfA Shrinking Colorado River Faces Sharp, Sudden Cuts 0622.rtfCalifornia Braces for Extreme Summer Drought after Dismal Wet Season 0522.rtfWest’s Megadrought Delivers Another Blow - Saving Glen Canyon Dam 0522.rtfRecord Low Water Levels Reveal Body in Barrel at Lake Mead 0522.rtfLake Powell Officials’ Stark Choice in West's Megadrought - Water or Electricity 0422.rtfDrought Is Sinking Lake Powell's Water Level. Its Total Capacity Is Shrinking Too. 0322.rtfClick for moreA Shrinking Colorado River Faces Sharp, Sudden Cuts 0622.rtf
- Lake Mead shrinks 1.5 X as fast during 2021-22 as 2020-21
2026 So Far - the Hottest and Driest in U.S. History 0426.rtf
Texas Droughts Are Getting Much More Expensive 0624.rtfMega-Drought Forces End to Sugarcane Farming in Parched Texas Borderland 0424.rtfTexas Drought Has Deepened amid This Year’s Brutal Heat 1023.rtfTexas Ranchers, Activists, Local Officials Brace for Megadroughts 0720.rtfDrought Returns to Texas, Just Months after Hurricane Harvey Floods State 0118.rtfParched Texas City Hopes to Cut Lake Evaporation 0814.rtfWater Planners Focus on Bigger Texas, Not a Hotter One 0714.rtfRio Grande May Hit 40-Year Low 0414.rtfWith Texas Lakes Drying Up, Businesses Are Parched 0913.rtfAmid Drought, a Water Fight Spills Into Legal Territory 0913.rtfa slide from 2013. The hottest full year in US histiory remains 1954. [until a few years after 2013]
US Drought Worsens in November After Improving for Weeks 1112.rtf
Palmer Drought Index, November 2012
June 2012
July 2012
July 2011
August 2011
June 2007
August 2007
Section Map: Droughts, Deserts & Fires