Rapid Readout: Impacts of Severe Drought

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a Rapid Readout on the far-reaching implications of intensive drought across the country. For example, in the West, a lack of rain and snow this past winter, along with record-high temperatures, has sparked fears of a long wildfire season. In addition, a record-low snowpack means less water for reservoirs, which could lead to water shortages during the summer months, affecting economic activity, hydropower generation, and agriculture. This Rapid Readout connected the dots between this year’s water shortage and the broader multi-year megadrought in the West, and discussed the role of federal policymaking in safeguarding communities from impacts and generating long-term solutions.

 

Highlights

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Drought is defined by drier than normal conditions. It is usually initiated by a lack of precipitation, including lower snowpack levels, and above-average temperatures. Drought propagates through the entire water cycle, from precipitation and snowpack to soil moisture, streamflow, surface water supply, and groundwater.  Soil moisture deficits impact agricultural and livestock production, and low streamflows impact municipal water supply and crop irrigation. These conditions often extend beyond periods of no precipitation.  Extreme heat and drought reinforce each other. Extreme heat accelerates vegetation stress and dryness, which can lead to wildfires in the western states. And as soil dries, it becomes less able to absorb water during extreme rain events, leading to potentially catastrophic runoff and flash flood conditions. Modeling published in a new National Academies report, Improving Future U.S. Drought Assessment, shows that these conditions will become more common in the future, with extreme drought events becoming five times more likely to occur in 2050 and 10 times more likely in early summer in 2100.  Continued investment in observational networks—such as snow monitoring at the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, soil moisture observations from the U.S. Climate Reference Network, streamflow observations from the U.S. Geological Survey, and federal- and state-owned weather stations, including the federally-funded Montana Mesonet—are essential to accelerating current and future preparedness efforts.