Droughts

Drought is the lack of soil moisture over a period of time. This lack of moisture can be due to reduced precipitation, increased evaporation and/or transpiration, or higher temperatures. It can also be caused by a combination of all of these.

Depending on the characteristics of the drought, it can be categorized as one of the following:

Meteorological drought: This type of drought is defined by the lack of precipitation (rain or snowfall) in an area.
Agricultural drought: This type of drought is one that affects agriculture through moisture shortages in the soil.
Hydrological drought: Characterized by below average surface and sub-surface water levels.