Flash Drought Hits Central and Eastern United States; Temperatures Exceed 100 Degrees Fahrenheit

Extreme heat due to flash drought is affecting the Central and Eastern United States as of Thursday, July 14, reaching as far as Massachusetts in the East Coast.

The infrequent extreme weather is marked by high temperatures amid a hot summer season, which serve as catalysts for the drought conditions.

Flash Drought Report

According to a map report released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday, a flash drought has developed in some areas of the South US and Northeast US, which includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Massachusetts.

The report came several days after heavy rain pummeled a rural community of Buchanan County in Virginia, which led to multiple missing people, as cited by CNN.

What is Flash Drought?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a flash drought as the rapid development or intensification of drought.

In other terms, the natural phenomena are a stronger and quicker form of a normal drought, which in itself is still unusual given its associated abnormally high temperatures.

Flash droughts are also accompanied by winds and radiation and can alter the local climate when combined with the hot temperatures, according to the NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).

The phenomena is triggered by below-average precipitation and other climatic factors.

Flash Drought Causes

NIDIS states that certain climatic factors like high temperatures, heat waves, high winds, and radiation often precedes a flash drought, which can also be linked to rhythmic climatic patterns, including La Niña events.

Furthermore, the US drought system highlights that a conventional drought can occur at any time and any place.

However, a flash drought typically transpires during warm seasons in the Central US, especially during the summer season which approximately spans from June to September each year.

US Flash Drought Season

A study published in the journal Environmental Research Communications in November 2019 found that flash droughts in the Western US occurred more frequently during the months of May and June, mainly between 1979 and 2016.

The said research also pointed out the Pacific Northwest climate has witnessed additional peak by the end of the growing season.

While this is the case for the drought-stricken western region, the study said the Eastern US experienced the weather phenomenon in July and August.

In the Southeast US, flash drought frequency normally spikes in May.

For other US regions, the severe drought intensifies toward the onset of the growing season and eventually decreases.

Moreover, flash droughts are reportedly less likely to persist to become prolonged drought.

The research also cited an estimation of the U.S. Drought Monitor that only 5% to 10% of flash droughts had been elevated within the highest drought category.

Flash Drought Impact

NIDIS reported that a widespread flash drought during the 2012 US summer season in the central US, caused significant damage to the central Great Plains with an estimated incurred damage of $30 billion in excess.

The agricultural sector is the most affect area by the natural event linked to abnormal hot weather and extreme drought conditions.