A bone-dry October pushed almost half of the United States into a flash drought, leading to fires in the Midwest and hindering shipping on the Mississippi River, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
More than 100 different long-term weather stations in 26 states are having their driest October on record, according to records through Sunday by the Southern Regional Climate Center and Midwest Regional Climate Center.
Cities that have had no measurable rain for October include New York, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Sioux City, Iowa, along with normal dry spots such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix, National Weather Service records show.
In June, less than 12% of the country experienced drought. Now it’s almost 50% and growing, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
That fits the definition of “flash drought,” which is different than normal slowly developing dry spells, said U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist Brad Rippey, a drought monitor author. A study last year showed that a warming world from the burning of coal, oil and gas is causing more frequent flash droughts.
