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Flash droughts are becoming more frequent due to climate change, a global study has found.
Scientists say it’s down to a lack of rainfall and a loss of moisture in the soil. Due to their fast-developing nature, they’re difficult to prepare for.
The droughts have inflicted damage on 60% of the Spanish countryside, with crops like wheat and barley likely to fail entirely in four regions, the main Spanish farmers’ association warned.
Three years of very low rainfall and high temperatures have put Spain officially into long-term drought, the country’s weather agency said.
While Spain’s long-term drought is causing “irreversible losses” to crops, wider Europe, as well as parts of east and north Asia, the Sahara, and the west coast of South America, are suffering a similar problem – flash droughts.
A relatively new phenomenon, they develop very quickly, often only in a number of weeks, so forecasters find them difficult to predict.
Professor Justin Sheffield worked alongside the UK’s Met Office on a global report which has found that flash droughts are developing more rapidly.
He says this is due to sudden drops in rainfall and precipitation, as well as high temperatures and loss of soil moisture.
The report finds this is mainly due to climate change, and there are many parts of the world that will be affected.
These types of droughts will be felt intensely in North and East Asia, as well as Europe.
With many parts of Europe and the rest of the world suffering debilitating heat waves, some countries are better equipped than others to cope with the knock-on effects of high temperatures.
In places such as Britain, the land and infrastructure are simply not equipped to cope with extreme weather – last summer saw parts of southern England go up in flames – after temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.
Flash droughts could – and do – inflict devastation on farmers and crops, as well as water supplies.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.