A flash drought is gripping the Mid-Atlantic, fueled by weeks of hot, dry weather and minimal rainfall. Learn about the causes, impacts, and what residents can do.
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00:00With this flash drought that's been hitting the mid-Atlantic region, it could potentially go
00:05through the month of July. It all stems again from that hot, dry weather that we've been seeing
00:10really just pounding the area over the last several weeks.
00:13It's caused by a lack of rainfall. It's exasperated by sunny and hot conditions.
00:18It most commonly occurs in the summer months when the rate of evaporation of water
00:23is the highest. A flash drought is the rapid onset or intensification of drought.
00:28Several weeks without significant rainfall has led to one in the mid-Atlantic.
00:33The intense summer sun and minimal cloud cover has accelerated the drying and browning of grasses,
00:38shrubs, and trees. The effects of a flash drought range from low stream flows on smaller creeks and
00:44streams to dry topsoils, dry lawns that can turn brown or go dormant in just a matter of days.
00:51Some communities may even issue water restrictions to help reduce the effects of the drought.
00:57Listen to your local authorities if they do enact any water restrictions. Usually it's
01:01just something you gotta ride out. These flash droughts come quickly, they can go quickly.
01:06Especially if heavy showers or storms move across the region over a few days,
01:12as opposed to a longer-term drought.
01:14Which we're used to seeing, you know, out west in recent years,
01:18in California in recent years where it takes tremendous amounts of rain to get rid of that.
01:23Looking ahead, while the forecast does call for hot weather,
01:26showers and thunderstorms are also expected, which will ultimately help.
01:31There's not too much we can do. It's just something we kind of have to wait out and
01:34hopefully Mother Nature will help solve the problem.
01:37For people that might be living across the mid-Atlantic region, some important advice or
01:42tips that I had gotten was if you do plan to be celebrating 4th of July, leave the fireworks to
01:48the professionals. And if you are outside in an area where you are experiencing this flash drought,
01:54try and avoid outdoor pits as well, as fires can spread rapidly, quickly,
02:00in conditions like we're seeing right now.