Changes in Concurrent Droughts and Heatwaves in the United States

Abstract:

Analyzing historical changes in concurrent climate extremes is critical to preparing for and mitigating the negative effects of climatic changes. This is because the combination of climate events may cause a significant impact on the ecosystem and society, though individual events involved may not be severe extremes themselves. This study focuses on the changes of concurrences between heatwaves and droughts from 1960 – 2010. The study shows that while the Midwestern United States has a decreasing trend in concurrences of drought and heatwave, the southern part of the contiguous United States has an exceptional increasing trend of concurrent droughts and heatwaves. This study also demonstrates that there has been a significant change in the tails of the cumulative distribution functions of droughts and heatwaves across the contiguous United States.