UTAH (ABC4) – The drought in the U.S. is expected to get worse this spring, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) seasonal outlook released in March.
The “megadrought,” as experts are calling it, is poised to only get worse, as forecasters predict “prolonged, persistent drought in the West where below-average precipitation is most likely.”
The NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center also forecasts above-average temperatures for most of the U.S. from the “Desert Southwest to the East Coast and north through the Midwest to the Canadian border.”
The forecast warns of dire conditions to come such as “severe to exceptional drought,” with dry conditions bringing an elevated risk for wildfires across the Southwest and southern Plains to north in the Central plains, especially when high winds are present.
Jon Gottschalck of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center states, “With nearly 60% of the continental U.S. experiencing minor to exceptional drought conditions, this is the largest drought coverage we’ve seen in the U.S. since 2013.”
LAKE POWELL, UTAH – JUNE 24: In this aerial view, Low water levels are visible at Lake Powell on June 24, 2021 in Lake Powell, Utah. As severe drought grips parts of the Western United States, a below average flow of water is expected to flow through the Colorado River Basin into two of its biggest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Lake Powell is currently at 34.56 percent of capacity, a historic low. The lake stands at 138.91 feet below full pool and has dropped 44 feet in the past year. The Colorado River Basin supplies water to 40 million people in seven western states. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
BIG WATER, UTAH – MARCH 27: Tire tracks are seen in the lakebed of Lake Powell that used to be underwater at Lone Rock Beach on March 27, 2022 in Big Water, Utah. As severe drought grips parts of the Western United States, water levels at Lake Powell dropped to their lowest level since the lake was created by the damming the Colorado River in 1963. Lake Powell is currently at 25 percent of capacity, a historic low, and has also lost at least 7 percent of its total capacity. The Colorado River Basin connects Lake Powell and Lake Mead and supplies water to 40 million people in seven western states. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
A rainbow shines behind homes on a hillside during the western drought on July 20, 2021 in St. George, Utah. – An approximately 140-mile water pipeline is proposed to bring additional water from the Colorado River and Lake Powell in Arizona to communities in southern Utah. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) 
OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA – JULY 22: In an aerial view, the Enterprise Bridge crosses over a section of Lake Oroville that was previously underwater on July 22, 2021 in Oroville, California. As the extreme drought emergency continues in California, Lake Oroville’s water levels are continuing to drop to 28 percent of capacity. State water officials say that Lake Oroville’s Edward Hyatt Powerplant might be forced to shut down the hydroelectric plant as soon as August or September if water levels continue to drop. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
NICASIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 23: In an aerial view, low water levels are visible at Nicasio Reservoir on April 23, 2021 in Nicasio, California. As the worsening drought takes hold in the state of California, Marin County became the first county in the state to impose mandatory water-use restrictions that are set to take effect May 1. Residents will be ordered to refrain from washing cars at home, refilling pools and watering lawns will only be allowed once a week. Earlier this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
SNELLING, CALIFORNIA – MAY 27: In an aerial view, a worker with Fowler Brothers Farming uses an excavator to place almond trees into a shredder during an orchard removal project on May 27, 2021 in Snelling, California. As the drought emergency takes hold in California, some farmers are having to remove crops that require excessive watering due to a shortage of water in the Central Valley. A Central Valley farmer had 600 acres of his almond orchard removed and shredded and now plans to replace the almonds with a crop the requires less water. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA – JULY 22: In an aerial view, low water levels are visible at Lake Oroville on July 22, 2021 in Oroville, California. As the extreme drought emergency continues in California, Lake Oroville’s water levels are continuing to drop to 28 percent of capacity. State water officials say that Lake Oroville’s Edward Hyatt Powerplant might be forced to shut down the hydroelectric plant as soon as August or September if water levels continue to drop. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
TOPSHOT – The dried and cracked soil in an irrigation ditch next to a cornfield on a farm in Fresno, California, July 24, 2021. – Central Valley farmers, desperate for water to irrigate crops amid a severe drought and government and environmental regulations cutting off their supply of surface water, are turning to an ancient and non-scientific technique of location underground water called dowsing or water witching which is the practice of using a forked stick, rod, pendulum, or similar device to locate underground water, minerals, or other hidden or lost substances, which has been a subject of discussion and controversy for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) 
NICASIO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 28: Dry cracked earth is visible as water levels are low at Nicasio Reservoir on May 28, 2021 in Nicasio, California. Marin County is under mandatory water-use restrictions that orders residents to refrain from washing cars at home, refilling pools and watering lawns once a week. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 16% of California is in exceptional drought, the most severe level of dryness. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
PAGE, ARIZONA – JUNE 24: In this aerial view, The tall bleached “bathtub ring” is visible on the rocky banks of Lake Powell on June 24, 2021 in Page, Arizona. As severe drought grips parts of the Western United States, a below average flow of water is expected to flow through the Colorado River Basin into two of its biggest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Lake Powell is currently at 34.56 percent of capacity, a historic low. The lake stands at 138.91 feet below full pool and has dropped 44 feet in the past year. The Colorado River Basin supplies water to 40 million people in seven western states. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A study shown in Nature Climate Change reveals the period from 2000 to 2021 was the driest in 1,200 years, with last year’s drought severity considered “exceptional.”
The National Weather Service states that as of Wednesday, April 27, a “prolonged period of elevated to critical fire weather conditions are expected the next few days from the Southwest U.S. to the southern High Plains. These conditions are from strong winds and low relative humidity values over dry fuels and conditions.”
Currently, 99.39 percent of Utah is experiencing severe drought or worse, with 43.46 percent of Utah in extreme drought.
For more information on current weather trends, click here.
