Heat-driven drying is playing a larger role than low precipitation in 21st-century Western droughts.
It was the second-warmest October for the globe, and large parts of North and South America were drier than average.
Drought expanded rapidly across the country during October, with near-record warmth and dryness dominating large portions of the Lower 48.
October 2024 is likely to be one of the driest months ever recorded for the country. Will these dry conditions persist into November or will autumn precipitation make a return to portions of the country?
Watch the Antarctic ozone hole develop in 2024
October 30, 2024
2024 Antarctic sea ice winter maximum second lowest on record
October 8, 2024
The highest odds for a much warmer than normal and much drier than normal October are across the western and central parts of the country.
The lowest 18 sea ice extents on record have all occurred in the last 18 years (2007–2024).
August was 15th consecutive month of record-setting global temperatures, and it brought the second-lowest August sea ice extent in the Antarctic.