North Carolina State University

Drought and heat often appear together, but new research funded by NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System found that drought can lengthen heat waves occurring at the same time.Drought and extreme temperatures can dry out vegetation, leading to billions of dollars in agricultural losses and building up fuels that can ignite in wildfires. These hazards can also reduce water supplies

Despite considerable public health concerns, drought assessments often disregard the health risks associated with drought exposure in the United States, particularly in regional-based assessments (Fard et al., 2022). One potential explanation of the lack of research is the complexity of linking drought to health outcomes. Drought lacks the direct pathway to health outcomes that many other climate

As with many other climate-related disasters, drought can lead to negative health outcomes. The significant impacts that drought can have on respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma, are of particular concern. Drier conditions can increase dust, smoke, and other particulate matter, contributing to reduced air quality that exacerbates these