A newly released report from the Congressional Research Service discusses how drought is defined and classified across the country and why it occurs. Following an explanation of the multifaceted components of drought assessment, the report provides an overview of prehistorical and historical drought in the U.S. The 19-page report also discusses droughts experienced over the past several years in Texas, the U.S. midcontinent and in California.
Lastly, the report provides prospects for a climate in the western U.S. that might be drier than the average 20th century climate and the possible influence of climate change.