The U.S. Drought Monitor

Abstract

Drought is a complex and slow-moving natural disaster which can cause severe damage comparable to other natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and flooding. Drought can be detrimental to crop and livestock production, the water and energy cycles, and wildlife habitat (Vose et al. 2016). Warming temperatures and increased frequency of drought increases wildfire activity and severity throughout western states (Westerling et al. 2006). Droughts can be difficult to discern in arid climates like Arizona where the climate is already relatively dry and warm. Nonetheless, droughts do occur and are infrequent climatic extremes eventually occurring in every location.