flash drought
Rapid-onset dry spell
A flash drought is a drought that develops unusually quickly—within weeks rather than months—often driven by extreme heat, low humidity, and strong winds that rapidly deplete soil moisture.
Unlike conventional droughts that build gradually, flash droughts can devastate crops and stress water supplies before communities recognize the danger: The flash drought caught farmers off guard, wilting corn that looked healthy two weeks earlier.
Prolonged abnormally high temperatures
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
- desiccationComplete removal of moisture
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
aridity · wilted · baked · sweltering · low humidity · dry soil · cracked earth · dusty
Fast-starting, not gradual
- abruptSharp and unexpected
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
- acceleratedIncreased in velocity
quick · short-term · evapotranspiration · dry spell · heatwave · early warning · detection · monitoring
Losing turgor and drooping
- fire riskDanger of combustion
- economic lossDecrease in monetary value
- food securityGuaranteed adequate nutrition access
- water restrictionsLimits on household usage
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
- extreme weatherUnusual, dangerous atmospheric events
- intensificationIncrease in degree
- frequencyRate of recurrence
attribution · La Niña · jet stream · climate modeling · regional climate · anthropogenic · warming trend
heatwave
Prolonged abnormally high temperatures
- scorchingExtremely hot, burning
- parchedExtremely dry or thirsty
- desiccationComplete removal of moisture
evaporation · aridity · wilted · baked · sweltering · low humidity · dry soil · cracked earth · dusty · water stress
rapid onset
Fast-starting, not gradual
- abruptSharp and unexpected
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
accelerated · quick · short-term · evapotranspiration · dry spell · heatwave · early warning · detection · monitoring · forecast
wilting
Losing turgor and drooping
- fire riskDanger of combustion
- economic lossDecrease in monetary value
- food securityGuaranteed adequate nutrition access
water restrictions · emergency response · farm crisis · commodity prices
climate change
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
- extreme weatherUnusual, dangerous atmospheric events
- intensificationIncrease in degree
frequency · attribution · La Niña · jet stream · climate modeling · regional climate · anthropogenic · warming trend
flash droughtflash flood
Rapid overflow from storms
cloudburst · torrential rain · flooding · inundation · waterlogging
flash, drought, flashed, flashing, flashy, flasher, flashiest, flashier, droughts