BLACKSBURG, Va., May 13 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
More than 60 percent of the United States is experiencing drought conditions, with more than 20 percent in an extreme drought. Andrew Ellis, a climatologist at Virginia Tech said the current conditions are among the worst in decades because the combination of intensity and aerial coverage is rare. He explained why, who is most impacted, and when we can expect relief.
The cause: An atypical La Niña
According to Ellis, the La Niña condition, or cooling of the western equatorial Pacific Ocean, this past fall and winter brought the dryness across the southern tier of the United States. While dryness from the West throug...