National drought atlas developed

Abstract

A National Drought Atlas for the United States is nearing completion. The idea for the atlas was inspired by the severe droughts that plagued parts of the country from 1987 to 1989, covering much of the Great Plains states, the Ohio Valley, and the southeast. In California, the drought lasted 6 years. In general, water managers were caught off‐guard by the drought's severity and duration. The atlas is the first nationwide study of drought frequency that planning groups can use to answer a large number of “what‐if” questions. They can determine the most likely durations of critical drought, when such droughts are likely to occur, how much drier than “normal” a given drought may be, and what droughts have occurred in a given region.