Daniel Swain in The Weather Channel: Climate Change Is Stoking What May Be a Long-Term Megadrought in Western U.S.

Daniel Swain, a scientist with UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, has researched the “hot drought” phenomenon in California. “I think this is interesting work and is indeed consistent with quite a bit of recent research,” Swain said of the new study. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that large declines in precipitation are not needed to produce more severe droughts due to climate change – the warming temperatures themselves can achieve that effect on their own,” Swain added. “This means drought may intensify in a warming world even in places where overall precipitation changes little.”