Megadrought Plaguing Western U.S. Is the Worst in 1,200 Years
New study shows human-caused climate change is contributing to dryness.
Lake Mead in Boulder City, Nevada, on Aug. 19, 2021.
Photographer: Roger Kisby/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The drought that has engulfed southwestern North America since 2000 is the most severe in 1,200 years, according to a new academic study.
The âmegadroughtâ -- a dry spell that lasts two decades or more -- surpassed a drought from the late 1500s that was previously identified as the driest going back to at least the year 800, according to the paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The current megadrought is more extreme because of the heat and low rainfall from summer 2020 through summer 2021, with conditions also exacerbated by human-caused climate change.