2020–22 North American drought

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2020–22 North American drought
Map of drought conditions in the United States as of September 1, 2020, showing areas of "severe" and "extreme" drought over the Western United States, and areas of "abnormally dry" and "moderate" drought across the Midwest and Northeast United States
Map from the US Drought Monitor showing the growth of "extreme" or "exceptional" drought conditions over much of the Western United States as of June 1, 2021
Map from the US Drought Monitor showing conditions as of October 12, 2021, showing the reduction of drought in the East but the growth of extreme and exceptional drought conditions throughout the west
2020 Western U.S. wildfires
North Complex smoke in San Francisco - Bay Bridge partially illuminated and Yerba Buena Island.jpg
Smoke from the North Complex fire settles over San Francisco, turning the daytime sky a dark orange.
Affected states
Background
Largest wildfire by state
  • Arizona - Bush (193,455 acres)
  • California - August Complex (1,032,648 acres)
  • Colorado - Cameron Peak (208,913 acres)
  • Nevada - Meadow Valley (59,265 acres)
  • New Mexico - Cub (25,950 acres)
  • Oregon - Santiam (402,274 acres)
  • Utah - East Fork (89,765 acres)
  • Washington - Pearl Hill (223,730 acres)
  • v
  • t

Drought developed in the Western, Midwestern and Northeastern United States in the summer of 2020.[1] Similar conditions started in other states in August 2020, including Iowa, Nebraska and certain parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota. At the same time, more than 90% of Utah, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico were in some levels of drought.[2] Also in drought conditions were Wyoming, Oregon and Arizona.

Over the course of 2021, conditions improved in the Northeast but worsened in the Western United States. As of June 2021, "nearly the entire region (97 percent) [was] facing abnormally dry conditions."[3] Drought also affected a wide area of Mexico in 2021, as well as the prairies of Canada.

The drought conditions of 2020 were associated with a moderate La Niña episode that had developed in the Pacific Ocean.[4]

United States[]

West[]

See also: Southwestern North American megadrought

By autumn 2020, the drought in the Western States was the worst since similar drought conditions seven years earlier.[5]

The 2020–2021 drought was described by some as possibly the worst drought in modern history for the Western U.S.[6]

By late spring 2021, dry conditions had expanded to almost the entire state of California and to neighboring Nevada.[7]

Midwest[]

Iowa received widespread rain in September; that improved the dry conditions for the eastern region of the state.[8] But the western half of the state dealt with severe-to-extreme drought problems which extended past 2020 and into 2021. By late April and early May 2021, though, northern, central and northeastern Iowa had fallen back into dry conditions.[9] By mid-August 2021, drought problems in Iowa had worsened; certain areas across the state were affected with extreme drought conditions by August 13. The northwest and east-central regions of Iowa were especially adversely affected with extreme dry conditions by mid-August.[10][11]

The 2020 and 2021 drought was also affecting Michigan, southern Wisconsin, most of North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota.[12][13]

In northeastern Illinois near the Chicago metropolitan area, May 2021 was the driest since 2012.[14] As of June 1, 2021, Chicago had only received barely half of one inch of rainfall due to drought in the area.[15] April 2021 was one of the city's driest Aprils on record; only .71 of an inch fell in Chicago in April 2021.[16]

By August 12, 2021, Minnesota was having the worst drought spells since the major drought in the final two years of the late 1980s.[17] Just over seven percent of the state, in particular, nine counties in the northwestern part of Minnesota were having exceptional drought. That was the first time since 1988 the state had been under exceptional dry conditions.[18] The drought conditions in Minnesota during 2021 caused serious comparisons to extremely similar dry conditions eighty-five years prior.[19]

Northeast[]

By late August/early September 2020, the drought conditions in several regions of the United States had worsened. The New England states and New York were also under severe to extreme drought conditions.[20]

The Northeastern United States were out of drought conditions by the beginning of June 2021.[21]

Southeast[]

By June 2021, moderate drought conditions had developed in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.[22]

Mexico[]

As of April 2021, Mexico was facing one of the most widespread droughts in its history, with 85% of the country experiencing drought conditions.[23]

A grassfire being controlled by firefighters in Nuevo León, México, during the drought
An unattended grassfire in Nuevo León, México, also during the drought

Canada[]

As of Spring 2021, extreme drought threatened the Canadian Prairies in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, after an abnormally dry fall and spring.[24]

See also[]

Droughts[]

Wildfires[]

References[]

  1. ^ "The 2020 Drought Update". Drought.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  2. ^ "A Third of the U.S. Faces Drought". Earth Observatory. August 13, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Kammeyer, Cora (June 4, 2021). "The 2021 Western Drought: What to Expect as Conditions Worsen". Pacific Institute. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Brian; Rojanasakul, Mira (January 23, 2021). "La Niña Roars, Unleashing Fire, Drought and Floods Worldwide". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Drought in the West is the Worst Since 2013". Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Western US May be Entering its Most Severe Drought in Modern History". CBS News. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "See Where Drought Conditions Have Expanded in California". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Drought Conditions Ease in Iowa, Thanks to Widespread Rain". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "The Drought Monitor Shows a Southern Iowa Improvement". KMA Land. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "The Iowa Crops are Weathering the Drought". The Iowa Torch. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "Transportation, Drought Concerns and the Iowa Fair". The Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "Spotty Rain Improves Drought for Parts of the Upper Midwest". The Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "Drought Forcing Farmers in the Dakotas to Make Difficult Decisions". Successful Farming. April 12, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Severe Drought in Cook County". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Drought Deepens During Chicago's 4th-Driest Start to the Year". WGN. May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021."The Drought Deepens During Chicago's 4th-Driest Start to the Year". WGN. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Chicago Sees One of the Driest Aprils on Record as the Moderate Drought Continues". NBC Chicago. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Drought Becoming the Worst in Minnesota Since 1988". KMSP Fox 9. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "Despite the Recent Rainfall, Drought Worsens in Minnesota". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  19. ^ "85 Years Later, Minnesota Farmers Remember the Drought". Inforum. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  20. ^ "U.S. Drought Area is Expanding Rapidly". MLive. October 20, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "Northeast Drought Update". Northeast Regional Climate Center. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Drought Monitor Narrative". droughtmonitor.unl.edu. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  23. ^ "Widespread Drought in Mexico". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. May 4, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  24. ^ MacIntosh, Cameron; Pauls, Karen (May 15, 2021). "'Extreme drought' is threatening parts of the Prairies, says Agriculture Canada". CBC. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
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