News Climate

Climate change made a southwestern U.S. drought one of the worst in 1,200 years

Tree ring–based climate reconstructions examine dry spells going back over a millennium

Drought

The 2000–2018 drought that stretched across southwestern North America was nearly 50 percent more severe than it would have been otherwise due to climate change, a study finds.

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By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

The drought in southwestern North America that lasted from 2000 to 2018 is among the most severe to strike the region in the last 1,200 years, a new study finds.