A drought occurs when there is a large decrease in the amount of precipitation an area receives compared to that area’s average precipitation. Such a drop can be so extreme that it interferes with some aspect of the economy. The most common type of drought is an agricultural drought, which occurs when crops are threatened by a lack of rain. Another important type of drought is hydrologic drought, which is when reservoirs are depleted. - McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Environmental Science
Global droughts are one possible impact of
climate change. As temperatures warm and rainfall decreases, evaporation and drought will increase. This kind of disruption in the water cycle will not only lead to droughts in some areas, but it will also lead to more intense storms in other areas. More frequent and intense droughts can also lead to an increase in
wildfires.
