Every US state except Alaska and Kentucky is facing drought, an unprecedented number, according to the US Drought Monitor.
A little more than 45% of the US and Puerto Rico is in drought this week, according to the tracker. About 54% of land in the 48 contiguous US states is affected by droughts.
Even as the country experiences autumn and heads further away from a summer of record heat, the droughts continue to rise. More than 150 million people in the country – and 149.8 million in the 48 contiguous states – are in a drought this week. That is about a 34% increase since last week and an over 150% increase since last month.
The drought is also affecting more than 318m acres of crops, a 57% increase since last month, according to the tracker.
Drought conditions are not simply caused by a decrease in rain – but are driven and exacerbated by abnormally high temperatures that can quickly suck moisture from the atmosphere and the earth.
The problem, however, is more complicated than simply counting rainy days. Droughts can occur even when there is slightly more rain than usual, depending on the frequency of rainfall. If there is a lot of rain all at once, it’s difficult for the water to be properly absorbed into the ground.