NOAA to co-host 2022 U.S. drought and heat webinars for the West and Southern Plains

A parched landscape may be much easier to photograph than to inhabit. Credit: NOAA

NIDIS and NIHHIS are teaming up to host two webinars on July 21 in collaboration with Federal, Tribal, State, and local partners. The webinars will provide the latest information on current drought, heat, and fire conditions and forecasts, as well as the serious impacts to diverse sectors of the economy and communities throughout the West and Southern Plains. Perspectives from those on the ground who are responding to these worsening drought and heat conditions will be shared.

Nearly 70% of the Western U.S. and Southern Plains are in drought, according to the June 14 U.S. Drought Monitor. But that 70% only tells a portion of the story.

Most of the western U.S., including Southern Montana to northern Mexico and from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, is experiencing the region's driest megadrought in at least 1,200 years. One of the key drivers intensifying this megadrought is climate change, as warmer temperatures are increasing evaporative demand and drying out soil and vegetation.

Read more at the link below.