Abnormally dry weather in a region over an extended period sufficient to cause a serious hydrological (water cycle) imbalance in the affected area This can cause such problems as crop damage and water-supply shortage
There is no definitive definition of drought based on measurable processes; scientists evaluate precipitation, temperature, and soil moisture data for the present and recent past to determine drought status Very generally, it refers to a period of time when precipitation levels are low, impacting agriculture, water supply, and wildfire hazard
An extended interval of abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged for the lack of water to cause serious hydrologic imbalance, such as crop damage, and water supply shortages, in the affected area
A period of deficient precipitation or runoff extending over an indefinite number of days, but with no set standard by which to determine the amount of deficiency needed to constitute a drought Thus, there is no universally accepted quantitative definition of drought; generally, each investigator establishes his own definition
A drought is a long period of time during which no rain falls. Drought and famines have killed up to two million people here. a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live. Lack or insufficiency of rain for an extended period that severely disturbs the hydrologic cycle in an area. Droughts involve water shortages, crop damage, streamflow reduction, and depletion of groundwater and soil moisture. They occur when evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation for a considerable period. Drought is the most serious hazard to agriculture in nearly every part of the world. Efforts have been made to control it by seeding clouds to induce rainfall, but these experiments have had only limited success
A normal, reoccuring feature of climate that originates from a lack of precipitation over an extended period of time, usually a season or more Droughts can occur in virtually all climates The precise definition depends on the region, but the definition is often determined by comparing recent precipitation to a 30-year average In some areas, precipitation that is only 75% of a 30-year average is considered a drought
although there is no universally accepted definition of drought, it is generally the term applied to periods of less than average precipitation over a certain period of time In south Texas ranchers say drought begins as soon as it stops raining