flash drought

American  

[flash drout] / ˈflæʃ ˈdraʊt /

noun

1. a destructive period of extremely dry weather that forms unusually quickly.

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Etymology

Origin of flash drought

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

Sudden, severe dry spells known as flash droughts are rising in intensity around the world, with a notable exception in mountainous Central Asia, where flash drought extent is shrinking, according to new research.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

Wisconsin is in a flash drought, says Steve Vavrus, the state’s interim climatologist.

From Scientific American • Aug. 23, 2023

This week, the deadly combination of flash drought and an off-shore hurricane — both increasingly common conditions as global temperatures rise — produced a catastrophic fire that destroyed the historic city of Lahaina.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2023

In 2012, a flash drought struck the Central U.S. in the middle of the growing season, causing an estimated $31.2 billion in crop losses.

From Salon • May 17, 2022

Experts say the oak decline was triggered by the year of record rainfall that waterlogged the Washington region from 2018 to 2019, immediately followed by a flash drought in the hot, dry summer of 2019.

From Washington Post • Nov. 25, 2021