India, March 4 -- Flash droughts have severe impacts, occur when regular droughts rapidly intensify

A new study on flash droughts published in journal Nature Climate Change on March 2, 2020 explored the impact of this extreme climate phenomenon. The study explored current knowledge about flash droughts and existing processes to predict and mitigate their occurrence.

Flash droughts could occur in weeks and stay on for months (subseasonal to seasonal time periods), according to the study conducted by a multi-institutional collaboration, including the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory .

Flash droughts had severe impacts and occurred when regular drought conditions rapidly intensified. This made it more urgent to accurately identify t...