Interesting Facts About Droughts

One of the most famous droughts occurred during the 1930s and lasted nearly a decade. It is referred to as the "dust bowl" (image at right). It was caused by a combination of drought and poor farming practices. Large areas of land without groundcover allowed winds to blow dust everywhere.

Between Spring and early Fall 2002, moderate to extreme drought conditions over large portions of 30 states resulted in an estimate of more than $ 10.0 billion in damages and costs.

In 1980 a combined Drought and Heat Wave between June and September through much of Central and eastern U.S. resulted in an estimated $20.0 billion damage and costs to agriculture and other related industries and an estimated 10,000 deaths including those related to heat.