The historical and ongoing droughts in California are caused by lack of rainfall (or snowfall), higher average temperatures, and drier air masses in the atmosphere.
The California drought was caused largely by the formation of a “ridiculously resilient ridge” of high pressure in the Pacific Ocean off California, diverting atmospheric moisture away from California. Read, more on it here. In this regard, what causes a drought in California?
“It’s a case of less bad or more bad.” California fires scorch 1.
While we were writing we ran into the inquiry “How bad is California drought?”.
Severe droughts have strained the state’s supply and renewed calls for more ways to capture and store water from the state’s major rivers and streams instead of letting it flow to the ocean. But just because California builds a new reservoir does not mean the state will have enough water to fill it.
Why do drought occur?
A drought is caused by drier than normal conditions that can eventually lead to water supply problems . Really hot temperatures can make a drought worse by causing moisture to evaporate from the soil. Just because a region is hot and dry doesn’t necessarily mean it is going through a drought.
Because drought is defined as a deficit in water supply, it can be caused by a number of factors. The most important one though relates to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere as this is what creates precipitation. More rain, sleet, hail, and snow can occur where there are moist, low-pressure air systems.
Meteorological droughts occur when dry weather patterns dominate an area. Hydrological droughts refer to when low water supply becomes evident in the water systemAgricultural droughts happen when crops become affected by drought. Socioeconomic droughts occur when the supply and demand of various commodities is affected by drought., and more items.
The most usefull answer is, Who lives in the community, because some people are more affected by drought than others based on things like health conditions and age. What kind of water system the community has. What rules the community has about water use. Other economic and social factors.
What are some interesting facts about droughts?
They are: Meteorological drought – that is caused by shortage of precipitation or rainfall. Agricultural drought – that is caused by lack of moisture in the soil. Hydrological drought – that is caused by low levels of water in various water sources like rivers, lakes, etc. Socioeconomic drought – that is caused by shortage of tap and drinking water.