Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 11 minutes ago
A severe drought rocked the U.S. during the summer of 2012. The drought severely impacted agricultural activities across the United States, particularly corn and soybean crops, prompting federal agencies to declare disaster areas and to provide assistance to those affected.
This visualization shows drought conditions developing in the continental United States during the spring and summer of 2012. A new drought index developed by CIRES scientists at NOAA, called the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI), shows just how thirsty the atmosphere was during the drought. This high level of atmospheric thirst was likely a driver of the persistent drought in the region.
Read more about EDDI, which is now operational and being used by forecasters at the National Weather Service, here: https://cires.colorado.edu/news/new-drought-index-informs-long-term-weather-forecasts
Video produced by Lauren Lipuma at CIRES.
A severe drought rocked the U.S. during the summer of 2012. The drought severely impacted agricultural activities across the United States, particularly corn and soybean crops, prompting federal agencies to declare disaster areas and to provide assistance to those affected.
This visualization shows drought conditions developing in the continental United States during the spring and summer of 2012. A new drought index developed by CIRES scientists at NOAA, called the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI), shows just how thirsty the atmosphere was during the drought. This high level of atmospheric thirst was likely a driver of the persistent drought in the region.
Read more about EDDI, which is now operational and being used by forecasters at the National Weather Service, here: https://cires.colorado.edu/news/new-drought-index-informs-long-term-weather-forecasts
Video produced by Lauren Lipuma at CIRES.
