What a difference a year or even a few months can make. Since 2011, drought has become a hot topic across the Lower 48 with many millions affected. In 2012, many climatologists claimed that California and Texas in particular had started a permadrought.
Between 2012 and 2015, the overall US drought area peaked.
The highest percentage since 2000 appears to be January 2012 with 80% of the US in a drought.
This past week set a new record low for area affected by drought conditions in the US. Just 6.1% of the country was affected and this marks the lowest percentage area since records began 17 years ago.
The previous record was 7.7% set on July 6, 2010. The US is at it’s lowest area of severe drought with only 1.1% in severe or exceptional drought category thanks to big rains over the Southeast, then Texas, Oklahoma and now California this past winter. Despite all the climate change talk, nature still finds a way of flipping a weather pattern.
This record low is all the more impressive given that 31% of the US was in drought and 16.6% in the severe category back in November 2016.
What a difference a year makes Out West where 35% of the region was in drought last April, this April it’s a mere 3.8%.
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