Historic Heat and Drought

Originally posted on ZoomRadar

If you could ask people throughout the contiguous United States what two words they would use to describe the weather conditions this spring and so far this summer, I would imagine the answers would run along the lines of hot and dry. This has been the case for most areas in the lower 48 states so far this year, though it is important to note that this is not true for everywhere in the lower 48. In fact, some areas have seen above normal precipitation so far this year, including areas of central Texas, most of Maine, as well as many areas of the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, and northern Plains.

The graphic below shows how temperatures compared to the 1981 to 2010 average across the lower 48 last month. Despite the month officially rating as the fourth warmest June on record globally, with records dating back to 1880, some areas of the U.S. saw below normal temperatures during this time period, denoted in blues below.



But like I stated previously, most of the nation has been experiencing heat and little rainfall. June marked the 328th continuous month with temperatures above the 20th century average according to NOAA. The United States seems to be taking the brunt of the heat as well. Temperatures globally in June were nearly two degrees Fahrenheit above average on the world’s landmasses and have been 1.57 degrees above average so far this year. But in the U.S., temperatures have been averaging 4.5 degrees above normal so far this year, now that is some heat!

And as if the heat was not enough to worry about, drought conditions have continued to worsen across a vast portion of the lower 48 states. Drought conditions are depicted in the map below as of July 10th and have likely continued to worse across many portions.

In terms of the area affected by this drought, this is now officially the worse drought since the 1950s. About 61% of the continental U.S. currently qualifies as being in some level of a drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Palmer Drought Index, an older and less detailed index, reports that 56% of the United States is currently under drought conditions. The last time drought covered more area in the lower 48 states was in December 1956.

This current drought does not compare to past droughts in duration yet, but with no major relief in the near future, conditions may continue for some time. Below is the NAM model depicting how much precipitation may fall over the next 84 hours. While some relief may fall over this time period, it will not affect all areas and will not be enough to eliminate the precipitation deficit, though any help will be very welcomed in these areas.

Below is the precipitation across the United States over the past 60 days when compared to normal, showing many areas suffering from precipitation deficits.

All of this heat and lack of precipitation has unfortunately led to many issues across the nation and will continue to do so. Heat related deaths have occurred in many states and many more have likely suffered from heat related illnesses. Additionally, dry conditions have wreaked havoc on the nation’s corn crop, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture now reporting that 38% of the crop is in poor or very poor condition. Problems have also arisen in the form of wildfires due to the dry conditions. Below is a map showing the current large wildfires across the United States.

The summer will likely continue with more hot and dry conditions so it is important to take precautions to protect your life and property. Be sure to stay hydrated, take breaks from the sun, monitor any fires you start closely, and of course stay up to date on the latest weather information.