Flash drought gripped U.S. in October 2024
A rapidly intensifying flash drought affected much of the U.S. in October 2024, with 45.3% of the country now under moderate to extreme drought. By October 29, drought had spread across nearly every contiguous state, except Alaska and Kentucky, severely impacting the Midwest, South, and East Coast and affecting over 78% of the population.
Flash drought grips the U.S., affecting over 78% of the population. Image credit: NASA
- It is the most significant drought impact recorded in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s history in 25 years.
- The conditions, exacerbated by a high-pressure system blocking moisture and unusually high temperatures, have led to record-dry October readings in over 70 weather stations.
Drought conditions have significantly expanded across the United States in October 2024, with around 45.3% of the country experiencing moderate to extreme drought on October 29.Â
This is up from 41.9% the previous week, making it the most significant percentage of the U.S. population affected by drought in the Monitor’s 25-year history.
Abnormal dryness and drought affected more than 78% of the American population, with circumstances rapidly deteriorating and involving over 242 million people.
Many areas in the Southeast have received little to no rainfall in October, with some having no precipitation since Hurricane Helene in late September.
The Midwest and Southern states, including California, Texas, and parts of the Southeast, except Alaska and Kentucky, have been particularly hard hit, with temperatures in the High Plains and South reaching 6 to 7 °C (10 to 12 °F) higher than average for October.Â
The situation has worsened considerably since June, when only 12% of the country was facing drought, and now 54% is under its spell.
The quick growth resulted in what NOAA calls a “flash drought” in several parts of the country, where circumstances can deteriorate rapidly over a few weeks.
Lower-than-normal precipitation rates mixed with extremely high temperatures cause drought conditions to worsen quickly, resulting in what meteorologists call “flash drought.”
“Although droughts usually develop slowly over the course of months and years, a flash drought rapidly intensifies over a few weeks to a couple of months,” said Caily Schwartz, a scientist at the Global Water Security Center at the University of Alabama.
The drought has been attributed to a persistent ridge of high pressure dominating the upper atmosphere, which has led to warmer and drier-than-normal weather patterns.
Over 70 weather stations reported the driest October on record, while 100 stations reported no rain during the month.
“This fall has been a prime example of flash drought across parts of the U.S.,” said Jason Otkin, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “These events can take people by surprise because you can quickly go from drought-free to severe drought conditions.”
References:
1 Drought Expands Across the U.S. – NASA – October 29, 2024
2 National Current Conditions – Drought.gov – Accessed November 4, 2024
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