48% Percent of the U.S. in a Drought

A drought of some level occurs every year in the US. Yes, I know that is bad, but that is the way it is and the way it will always be. In any given year at least one region in the country is experiencing drought conditions. Do you need some validation? I like the graph below which shows what percent area in America was in a severe and extreme drought from 1895 through 2006. As you can see during the dust bowl days in the 1930s 60% of the U.S. was in a severe and extreme drought. So, how are we doing today? Based on this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor report, 22% of America is in a severe and extreme drought. As shown on the graph below, almost half (48%) of America is in some level of drought. This has not varied too significantly from a year ago.

Droughts may be natural, but with a growing population and new demands placed on our water resources, the ability of different areas of the country to “absorb” the impacts of drought differs greatly.

“Failures don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan”

- Harvey Mackey

Other popular posts in this Sunday Statistic Series:

• What Everyone ought to know about Indoor Water Use
• 500% Increase in Withdrawal from Floridan Aquifer
• Shattering The 1.6 gpf Flush Barrier