What is Drought?

What do you think when you hear the word drought? Do you think “dry,” “hot,” “dusty,” or “cracked earth,” or even
“no water”?
If so, you’re on the right track! 
When a place is in a drought, it is dry and hot, often dusty; cracks may appear in the soil, and rivers, lakes, streams,
and other sources of water can go dry. 
A drought means that a place has less precipitation (rain or snow) than normal over a few months or even longer.
What causes this? How does drought really affect us? How can we be prepared for drought?
These are all important questions that we will answer as we explore drought. 
The first step in answering those questions is to explore weather, climate, and the water cycle.
 Weather and Climate
 Water Cycle
 Causes of Drought
 Droughts and Floods
Weather and Climate
If you look outside right now, do you see sunshine, or mostly clouds? Is it windy? Is it hot or cold? 
Whatever your answers to those questions are, that is your weather for today.
Weather can be defined as the conditions experienced in a place over a brief period of time, like day-to-day or even
over a week.
When you hear or read a weather forecast, you may hear the word normal. The weather forecaster may say, “today
will be warmer than normal” or
“we are having below normal precipitation.” Weather that we expect or know to be “normal” for a place is one way to
define climate. 
So, in other words, climate is a place’s weather over a longer period of time, like months, seasons, and years. 
What is normal for a place depends on its elevation (how high above sea level it is), how close it is to the oceans or
other large bodies 
of water, and its latitude (how close or far it is from the equator). 
A place’s climate can change slightly from year to year or decade to decade. 
This is what we call natural climate variability. Because these changes or variations can occur,
we consider drought to be a normal part of climate just like floods, hurricanes, blizzards, and tornadoes. 
What causes these variations? Well, let’s start by looking at the water cycle.
Water Cycle
Water covers more than 80 percent of the earth’s surface. It is found in oceans, lakes, rivers, and even ice caps and
glaciers. Water is also found underground in aquifers. The water that exists today is the same water that existed
billions of years ago. This is because water is what we call a limited renewable resource. 
Water is a renewable resource because it travels through the oceans, rivers, ground, and atmosphere; it is always
moving! It falls from the sky as rain or snow into our oceans, lakes, and rivers and onto land. Precipitation that falls on
the land enters the groundwater through percolation or travels to streams, rivers, and lakes as runoff. Water in streams
and rivers is carried to the oceans, where it evaporates and forms clouds—where the cycle starts all over again!
Water is also a limited resource. We will always have the same amount of water on the earth, but we can't always use
as much as we need. One reason is that 97 percent of the earth's water is saltwater, and saltwater is not good for people
and wildlife and many plants. Of the remaining 3 percent, which is freshwater, nearly 75 percent is frozen in glaciers,
making it unavailable to us. Another reason that water is a limited resource is that pollution, increased human demand
for water, and changes in precipitation patterns can decrease both the quality and amount of water available to people,
plants, and wildlife.
Water and Weather on the Move
Water evaporating from the oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams moves to the atmosphere. Air carries the moisture up,
and if conditions are right, it forms clouds. Wind moves these clouds around the globe. The wind that carries the
clouds that bring rain is called the jet stream. The jet stream changes its pattern with each season. In other words, the
jet stream will carry weather patterns, such as precipitation and temperature, in different directions or over different
routes during each season. Think about four different routes you could take to a friend’s house, and during each
season you would take a different route—that's what the jet stream does.
If the jet stream changes its pattern or is blocked by “ridges” or “troughs” of air in the atmosphere, the normal weather
for a place can be much different for a period of time. It’s almost as if the jet stream has hit a road block or taken a
detour!
When the jet stream hits a road block or takes a certain detour and is not bringing the clouds that produce rain, a
drought can occur. These patterns in the jet stream could change for many reasons. Scientists are still uncovering the
answers, but many think that influences such as differences in the amount of snow and ice cover, the amount of
vegetation (trees or grasses) covering the land, the moisture in the soil, and ocean surface temperature and currents can
cause these patterns to change. Let's learn more about the causes of drought.
Causes of Drought
Drought has many causes. It can be caused by not receiving rain or snow over a period of time. 
We learned in the discussions about the water cycle and weather that changes in the wind patterns that move clouds
and moisture through the atmosphere can cause a place to not receive its normal amount of rain or snow over a long
period of time.
If you live in a place where most of the water you use comes from a river, a drought in your area can be caused by 
places upstream from you not receiving enough moisture. There would be less water in the river for you and other
people who live along the river to use. 
People can also play a big role in drought. If we use too much water during times of normal rainfall, we might not
have
enough water when a drought happens. We’ll talk more about this when we look at how drought affects our lives and 
what we can do to protect ourselves from drought.
How Does Drought Affect Our Lives?
When we have a drought, it can affect our communities and our environment in many different ways. 
Everything in the environment is connected, just like everything in our communities is connected. 
Each different way that drought affects us is what we call an impact of drought.
Drought affects our lives in many different ways because water is such an important part of so many of our activities. 
We need water to live, and animals and plants do too. We need water to grow the food we eat. 
We also use water for many different things in our lives, like washing dishes, cooking, bathing, and swimming or river
rafting.
Water is also used to help make the electricity we use to run the lights in our houses and the video games you may like
to play.
When we don’t have enough water for these activities because of a drought, many people and many different things
will be
affected in many different ways.
Drought Dominoes?
We often talk about drought's impacts as either “direct” or “indirect.” What does that mean? 
Well, to find out, let's think about dominoes. If you set up a long line of dominoes on the floor and knock the first
domino in the line over,
it will cause the second domino in the line to fall and hit the third, which will fall and hit the fourth, and so on. 
If those dominoes were drought impacts, the first domino you knock over might be farmers’ corn crops dying. 
The second domino might be that the farmers would not have money to buy a new tractor from the dealer in town. 
The dealer would then lose money, which would be the third domino. If enough farmers lose their corn crops, the
dealership
might not be able to employ as many people or may even have to close down—the fourth domino.
The dealership closing would cause many more impacts in the community.
The farmers’ crops dying would be the “direct” impact of drought. The dealer losing money and all of the other
impacts would be the
“indirect” impacts of drought. 
All of the impacts in the example above would be “negative” impacts. But the impacts of drought aren’t always all
negative. 
How can this be? Well, let's think about the example of the farmers we talked about earlier. The farmers who have lost
their 
corn crops might use the money they didn’t spend to buy a new tractor to hire a person to drill irrigation wells. The
well-drilling 
business would make more money, so for them the drought might actually have a “positive” or good impact. 
However, the overall impact of drought in an area is almost always negative.
How Can We Protect Ourselves from Drought?
Drought is different from tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. It can be more difficult to detect and it can last much
longer than other weather events. 
We don’t have “watches” or “warnings” for drought like we do for other natural hazards. But just because drought is
different from the o
ther natural disasters doesn’t mean we can’t plan for it and take steps to help protect ourselves from the effects of
drought. 
In fact, the National Drought Mitigation Center helps people plan for drought.
What does mitigation mean?
When you want to cross a street, you look both ways before crossing, don’t you? Of course you do!
Looking both ways before crossing the street is a very simple thing that you can do to help reduce your risk of being
injured by oncoming traffic. 
Reducing your risk of being injured would be an action that mitigates harm to you.
When we think about mitigation as it relates to drought, mitigation means taking actions before, or at the beginning of,
drought to help reduce the impacts 
(or effects) of drought. We can do many things to mitigate drought. Let’s take a look at the ways that people,
communities, states, and the nation can 
reduce drought risk.
In this section, we’ll learn about things we can do to ahead of time to prepare for drought in our communities and our
environment. 
These things include making drought plans, conserving water, building dams and other structures that help us store
water, and learning 
about drought and your environment.
 Understanding Drought and the Environment
 Water Conservation
 Pollution Prevention
 Storing and Moving Water
Understanding Drought and the Environment
The first step that we can take to mitigate drought is to understand drought and our environment.
By learning about drought on this website, you have already taken a step to reduce your risk to drought.
It is very important that we all understand drought and also very important that we understand the environment where
we live. 
Just like you have certain characteristics, such as your hair color or even foods you like, the environment where you
live also has characteristics. 
The climate where you live can be thought of as a characteristic of your environment. Other characteristics of your
environment might be 
whether there are forests or grasslands, or whether you live in the mountains or by a river or ocean.
The characteristics of your environment hold clues about how often you might expect to experience drought, 
what the impacts of drought would be, and steps you and your community can take to protect yourselves and your
environment from drought.
Here are a few clues to help you start finding information about drought and your environment.
Is Your Region or City Experiencing Drought?
The U.S. Drought Monitor identifies which areas of the United States are experiencing drought conditions and how
severe the conditions are.
Check out the map to see whether your area is experiencing drought right now.
The Drought Atlas is a great tool to help you find out how often drought has occurred in your area. Some areas are
more likely to have 
droughts, or to have droughts that last for longer periods of time, than other areas. Take a look at the Drought Atlas to
check up on your area.
Knowing how often drought has occurred in your area can help you understand how likely it is that a drought will
occur in your area in the future. 
Scientists study these patterns and make forecasts of where and when drought might happen. Check out the Climate
Prediction Center 
website to find the drought outlook for your area.
What Are the Impacts of Drought in Your Area?
If you know what impacts drought is having on your community and your environment, you can take steps that will
help protect you from drought. 
The Drought Impact Reporter is a tool that shows drought impacts across the United States. You can use it to see past
and present impacts, 
and you can also send us information about how drought is affecting your community or environment. We’d love to
hear from you!
Where Does Your Water Come From?
When you turn on the faucet in your house, water comes streaming out. Do you know where that water comes from,
before it comes through the 
pipes in your house? The answer to that question depends on where you live. It is very important to know where your
water comes from to 
understand how drought might put your water supply at risk. Let’s take a quick look at some water sources.
Groundwater
Many people get their water from wells dug deep (or sometimes not so deep) into the ground. People who live in rural
areas often have their own wells, 
which deliver water to their house or farm only. Some towns and cities also have groundwater wells that supply water
to the people and businesses
in the city.
Surface Water
People who do not get their water from groundwater most likely get water from rivers or large lakes called reservoirs. 
The water is then pumped into towns and cities using pipes, canals, or other devices.
Many great resources are available to help you learn more about water sources. You can also ask your parents or
check your
city or county website to find out where your water comes from. Our list of resources can help you get started.
Tell Others about Your Drought Research
Some students have made their own drought websites. You can do the same thing to describe drought, especially in
your region. 
You can also point out projects to your teachers that they can use in the classroom to help others learn about drought.
Check out the list of resources linked on our site to learn more about drought, water, and your environment.
Water Conservation
One of the easiest steps we can take to help mitigate the impacts of drought is conserving water. If we use water
wisely at all times, more water 
will be available to us and to plants and wildlife when a drought happens. Let’s take a look at a few simple ways you
and your community can 
conserve water.
Make Every Drop Count
We can lose a lot of water doing simple everyday tasks. Did you know that turning off the water while you brush your
teeth can save more than 
100 gallons of water a month? If you have a leaky faucet, the drips can add up to 300 gallons of wasted water a month.
Water-saving Devices
Just shutting off the faucet or fixing a leak can save a lot of water. Another way to save water is to install devices that
use less water to perform
everyday tasks. For example, we use the most water in our homes when we take a shower or flush the toilet.
Companies now sell low-flow toilets 
and showerheads that can cut the amount of water used in half. People are even beginning to use composting toilets
that require no water. Also, 
new washing machines and dishwashers use much less water than older machines. 
Many cities have programs to help people buy these new water-saving devices. Check with your city to find out if
they have these programs. 
Remember, saving water also means saving money.
Farmers and businesses are also using new inventions to help them reduce the amount of water they use to grow crops
or manufacture things. 
New sprinkler irrigation systems can reduce water use by spraying the water out with less force so more gets to the
plant and less evaporates or blows away.
Some drip irrigation systems use less water by directing the water directly to the plant’s roots. If you have a garden or
if your parents water your lawn,
many similar devices are available for use around the home too.
Xeriscaping
Another great way that you can reduce the amount of water used around your house is through xeriscaping. It’s a
funny-looking word, 
but it is a fun way to conserve water!Xeriscaping is a type of landscaping that uses little water by only using plants
that are native to the area you live in. 
Native plants usually need less water to grow or can make better use of the water that is available to them than other
types of grasses, trees, and shrubs. 
People who do this type of landscaping also find creative ways to use rocks or other types of ground covers in their
yards or even in front 
of their businesses. The keys to xeriscaping are to use only as much water as the plants need and to choose
landscaping designs and plants that make
use of the available rainfall. 
Xeriscaping is very common in drier places like Arizona, New Mexico, and even Utah, but it is catching on all across
the United States and many parts
of the world. You can learn more from your local extension service or landscaping or nursery businesses in your
towns. You can also learn more about
xeriscaping from the websites in our list of resources.
Water Recycling
Businesses, cities, and people are finding new ways to save water by reusing it. Many businesses have started
recycling water that they use in their 
manufacturing process. Instead of letting water run down the drain, the water is collected, cleaned (if needed) and run
back through the system. 
Many cities and other types of businesses are using “gray water” (waste water that is treated and cleaned) to water golf
courses and city parks. 
Water parks like Denver Water World are recycling the splash water into other areas of the water park.
Pollution Prevention
Protecting the quality of water we have available is another extremely important step in reducing our risk from
drought. 
We may do enough to conserve the quantity of water available to us by reducing how much water we use. 
But if our water becomes polluted we won’t be able to use that water for our daily activities. 
Polluted water will also harm plants and wildlife in our environment.
Chemicals that we use in our houses or on our lawns and crops are very common pollutants. 
Other pollutants that can easily end up in our water are oil and gas from our cars and chemicals from businesses and
mining.
These pollutants get into the water supply through runoff, spills, and applying or using more chemicals than we really
need.
We have many laws to protect our water supplies from chemicals used in businesses, mining, and farming, 
but very few (if any) laws to protect our water from the chemicals we use in our houses and cars and on our yards. 
So it is very important to learn about the chemicals you use to clean your house, fertilize your lawn, and run your
family’s car. 
It’s very important to make sure they are stored in places where they won’t get spilled and that you follow the
directions for their use. 
Only use what you need, and only when you need it. 
You can also find different cleaners that are nontoxic and safer for you and our water. 
You can use different methods, such as composting, to fertilize the plants in your yard. 
You can learn more about ways to prevent pollution by using the links in our resources. 
Your city, extension service, or state department of environmental quality may also have information about preventing
pollution.
Storing and Moving Water
Understanding where your water comes from will help you understand what you can do to mitigate the effects of
drought. 
Your water supply might be from surface waters (water on the surface of the earth, like rivers) or from groundwater 
water that is under the surface of the earth). Conserving water is the best way for us to make sure that we all have
water even 
when we are in drought. But sometimes, if a drought is very severe or if people don’t use less water, we have to make
sure we 
have enough water. Let’s take a look at some ways to store water and get that stored water to people when it’s needed.
Dams
Many people rely on rain or snow that flows into rivers for their water. When we have a drought, we might not have
enough rain or snow
to keep enough water in the river for all the people who need the water. To make sure that they have enough water
throughout the year, 
people build dams to store water when they need it. 
When a dam is built on a river, a large lake, called a reservoir, is made. The reservoir “stores” the water for people’s
use. 
Reservoirs can provide fish and wildlife habitat and also are often great places for us to boat and fish. They also can
be used to produce power. 
About 75,000 large dams have been built in the United States, and that number is continuing to grow. 
However, in some places, dams are being removed from rivers. Dams do help us, but they have some drawbacks. 
Reservoirs can provide some fish and wildlife habitat, but they can also create problems for the health of the fish and
wildlife that live in the river. 
Dams also wear down over the years and can create safety problems. So, because of some of the drawbacks of dams,
people are always looking 
for new ways to store or protect our water supplies. 
Be sure to check out our resources for more links to information about how dams are built and their good and bad
points.
Groundwater and Wells
Another source of water is groundwater (water found below the surface of the earth). Aquifers are like underground
lakes.
Just like lakes above the ground, aquifers can be different sizes. Some are very small and some are very large, like the
Ogallala Aquifer. 
The Ogallala Aquifer is under parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. 
The Ogallala Aquifer holds enough water to cover all of the United States with water that would be one and a half feet
deep.
People drill wells into aquifers so they can bring water to the surface to use. 
Water in aquifers can be just a few feet below the earth’s surface or hundreds of feet deep. 
The water that is closer to the surface is easier for us to use, but it can also be more easily polluted than the water that
is much deeper. 
When we have a drought, people may drill more wells for irrigation or even to make sure that a city has enough
drinking water. 
People may also have to drill wells deeper into the aquifer to find enough water to use. If people use too much water, 
they may not be able to drill deep enough to get enough water to use. 
To find out more about aquifers and the steps you and your community can take to protect and conserve groundwater, 
check out the links we have in our resources.
Canals and Pipelines
Water canals and pipelines have been built in many places to make sure that as many people as possible have access to
water supplies. 
Canals and pipelines are used to transport water from reservoirs and wells to farmers for irrigation and cities for
drinking water. 
Canals like the Central Arizona Project and the Los Angeles Aqueduct carry billions of gallons of water each year to
areas that do not have enough water. 
Check out our resources section to find more information about how canals and pipelines are used to transport water. 
You can also check with your city, county, or local water authority to find out where your water comes from.
Desalination
We need fresh water for drinking, for our daily activities, and for growing our food. But almost all of the water on the
surface of the earth is salt water from the oceans and seas. In fact, 97 percent of all water on earth is salt water.
People have been trying to find a way to use ocean water in place of fresh water for many years. With new
technology, turning seawater into water that we can drink and use is becoming much easier and much cheaper.
Desalination, or removing salt from seawater, is still expensive, but some cities in the United States and other
countries are building desalination plants to help them meet their water needs. 
The Tampa Bay Desalination Project in Florida is the largest desalination plant of its kind in the United States. Other
plants are being planned in states such as California, Texas, and Hawaii. Other countries, like Japan and Korea, also
have desalination plants. You can find more links about desalination in the resources section of our website.
Picture
Reflection
California is facing its third straight year of lower than normal rainfall. The Golden State is no stranger to drought and
- although one has not been officially declared – the low levels of reservoirs, Sierra snowpack and groundwater are
becoming increasingly apparent.
“Water is essential to who we are as human beings,” said Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento and president of the
California Catholic Conference of Bishops. “Our reliance on water reveals how much we are part of creation and
creation is a part of us.” 
If current trends continue, the 38 million residents of California could face many economic, health, safety and quality
of life challenges from the current water shortage. Some of the highest unemployment in the nation, for instance, is
already in California’s rural farming communities. Water shortages could make matters worse in these devastated
communities.
Annually, wildfires threaten homes and livelihoods as well as the safety of the men and women who must fight the
fires. Workers in the water-, outdoor- and snow-recreation industries face loss of income. Water is vital for food
production, sanitation, power generation, environmental protection and transportation. In a severe drought people
could also face increased respiratory ailments, heat related emergencies, and mental stress.
Balancing the needs of various water users in California has always been a challenge for our leaders and our
communities.
http://drought.unl.edu/droughtforkids/whatisdrought.aspx