"As if we didn't have enough trouble from regular drought, flash droughts are now becoming more common."

"As record-breaking temperatures have pummeled much of the country this summer, another heat-related menace is causing trouble: flash droughts.

Much like a regular drought, a flash drought is caused by low precipitation, but it strikes an area so much faster. Brad Pugh, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, said that flash droughts are caused by a combination of little to no rain alongside unusually high temperatures that quickly alter an environment.

“Flash droughts typically occur during the warm season, so from late spring through the summer into the early fall… the major impact is typically related to agriculture and livestock,” he told Earther."

Angely Mercado reports for Earther July 30, 2022. [2]