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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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Data from the National Drought Mitigation Center shows that more than a dozen states are experiencing moderate drought, with some battling extreme conditions as a heat wave grips much of the nation, as shown by a Newsweek map.
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As of Monday morning, roughly half of the states were under either a National Weather Service (NWS) heat advisory or an excessive heat warning. Much of the heat was clustered on the Western and Eastern coasts and comes as many states, such as California, Utah and others, have already been exposed to extreme heat for days without relief.
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Heat can exacerbate the onset of drought, given that high temperatures can cause water to evaporate more quickly. In addition to the heat, the National Drought Mitigation Center warned that there would be below-normal precipitation in the Western U.S.
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The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor data was released on July 3 and was valid through July 2. According to past data, drought has worsened along the East Coast since previous data released on June 25. Drought also has worsened in far western Texas, with 2.5 percent of the state now experiencing severe drought, compared with 1.17 percent at the end of June.
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Newsweek reached out to the National Drought Mitigation Center by phone for comment.
The most recent data shows that 52 percent of the nation is completely free from drought. More than 47 percent of the nation is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, nearly 19 percent is considered to be experiencing moderate drought, and nearly 4 percent is battling severe drought. Nearly 1 percent of the nation is battling extreme drought, and .02 percent—only in New Mexico—is experiencing exceptional drought.
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The exceptional drought—which the NWS describes as causing "exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies"—is in southern New Mexico.
Despite an ongoing heat wave that has pushed temperatures well past 100 degrees across much of California over the past week, the state remains free from drought. Only 5.75 percent of California is considered to be abnormally dry. The state battled years of drought and finally was classified as being drought-free last year.
According to the NWS HeatRisk map, a tool that documents heat-related impacts over a 24-hour period, the worst of the heat is currently felt in California, parts of Nevada and Arizona; several states on the East Coast, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware; and several Southern states, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
The heat is expected to peak on the East Coast on Wednesday, and extreme impacts are expected in the Southwest until this weekend.
"This level of rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration. Impacts likely in most health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure," the NWS said.
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