Higher temperatures caused by climate change made an ordinary drought into an exceptional drought, parching the American West from 2020-2022. Evaporation accounted for 61% of the drought’s severity, while reduced precipitation only accounted for 39%. Evaporative demand has played a bigger role than reduced precipitation in droughts since 2000, suggesting droughts will become more severe as the climate warms. While drought-induced by natural fluctuations in rainfall still exists, there’s more heat to suck moisture from bodies of water, plants and soil.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241106190309.htm