Last Thursday, the US Drought Monitor classified 60% of the country to be in a defined drought zone, with 34% experiencing severe or worsening drought.
Although such conditions are not uncommon in the United States, with around 14% of the country experiencing severe to extreme drought every year since 1895, the magnitude of the present issue is.
A hybrid cyclone is expected to form off the coast, increasing the likelihood of severe rain and floods in Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.
'Dangerous' hybrid cyclone set to form off the coast of Australia
Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images
Radar photos show two different low-pressure systems churning above the east coast, as per 9News.
The first was spotted hovering along the boundary of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, while the second was sighted over the Tasman Sea, off the north coast of NSW.
According to Weatherzone, the cold-core low and warm-core low systems are on track to collide when they pass through Victoria today.
When they do, the temperature differences will cause the creation of a dynamic and deadly system known as a hybrid cyclone.
This combination of air leads to a variety of energy sources, which allows hybrid cyclones to strengthen quickly, according to the report.
When one type of low-pressure system changes into another, hybrid cyclones form.
On the other hand, this system is unique in that it is the result of the convergence of two previously existing systems.
As a result, the cores will attempt to balance each other's core temperatures, resulting in an unstable and constantly developing system.
According to Weatherzone, hybrid cyclones are notorious for generating extreme weather, particularly significant tornado outbreaks in the United States.
Because this system will be offshore, more heavy rain is anticipated.
It predicted that the most extreme weather will occur over water.
However, this system may deliver severe rain between Monday and Thursday to sections of the NSW South Coast, Victoria's Gippsland region, and Tasmania's east coast.
While computer models indicate widespread rainfall of 60-100mm, Weatherzone cautioned that hybrid cyclones may be unexpected.
These systems can occasionally generate twice as much as predicted.
It is conceivable that certain locations between southeast NSW and eastern Tasmania may get 100-200mm of rain during the next several days.
Individually, the lows have been responsible for severe rains over the east coast.
The western-most low poured 95.6 mm of rain on Renmark between 9 a.m. on Monday, the city's biggest daily rainfall on record.
The western states and areas of the Great Plains are enduring the country's worst droughts.
Some midwestern states, including Minnesota and Iowa, have had less than 25mm of rain in the last month, compared to a September average of 70-100mm, as per The Guardian.
Because of the lack of rainfall following a warmer-than-average July to September, areas of the Mississippi River resemble a stream.
At the same time, wildfires have raged in Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico, encompassing more than 200,000 hectares in all.
An unusual "triple-dip" La Nina winter - or three consecutive La Nina winters - is causing this growing drought.
The weather phenomena are notable for their large-scale dropping of sea surface temperatures, which results in colder and drier conditions in the eastern Pacific, increasing the danger of drought and wildfires in the United States throughout the winter.
From February through April, there is a nearly 50% likelihood of more neutral conditions, bringing total rainfall closer to the norm.
Meanwhile, warm air from as far south as the Sahara is expected to travel north through western Europe this week thanks to a robust jet stream.
This airmass will bring very warm - and in some cases, hot - circumstances, and many regions will once again see increasing temperatures, with temperatures averaging 9 degrees Celsius above average for the time of year.
Bordeaux, France, is forecast to reach the mid-20s Celsius, approximately 11 degrees Celsius higher than the typical daytime temperature in late October, and to continue in the high teens overnight.
