Idaho Having Worst Drought In More Than 1,000 Years
Most droughts are recorded on a 30-year timeline and Idaho is right in the middle of one of the WORST droughts in more than 1,000 years. YES! It’s actually more like 1,200 years and it doesn’t look like things are going to improve anytime soon.
Above is the current condition of Idaho’s drought according to Drought.org. But the bigger problem is the long-term drought that we’ve been in for more than two decades. Experts say that most droughts last a good thirty years on average. We’re 22 years into ours but the world has changed a bit and a lot of those changes are NOT good for our climate.
The human population has had a hand in things whether we want to admit it or not. Here are just a couple of things WE do that affect the drought conditions here in Idaho.
Widespread cutting down of trees for fuel - This reduces the soil’s ability to hold water - drying out the ground, triggering desertification, and leading to drought.
Constructing a dam on a large river - This may help provide electricity and water to irrigate farmland near the reservoir. However, it may also cause drought downstream by severely reducing the flow of water.
Effects of drought
Droughts endanger lives and livelihoods through thirst, hunger (due to crops dying from lack of water), and the spread of disease.
Millions of people died in the 20th century due to severe drought and famines. One of the worst-hit areas was the Sahel region of Africa, which covers parts of Eritrea, Ethiopia, and the Sudan.
Droughts and famines can have other geographical impacts. If drought forces people to migrate to a new home it could put pressure on resources in neighboring countries.
Droughts can have a severe impact on MEDCs as well as LEDCs. Droughts have caused deaths in Europe in recent years - especially amongst the elderly. In the UK in summer 2006, there were hose-pipe bans and campaigns to make people save water.
Drought in Idaho from 2000–Present
Photo: Drought.gov