Intensifying Drought in the American Southwest

Temperatures across much of the region in 2018 have been well above the norms, while precipitation has been well below—a recipe for struggling farmers and concerned forest fire managers.

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NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens and Lauren Dauphin, using soil moisture data from NASA-USDA and the SMAP Science Team, and data from the United States Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Story by Mike Carlowicz.

Published June 12, 2018
Data acquired May 31 - June 5, 2018

Sources:

In situ Measurement

Model

SMAP