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The US Drought of 1988 was one of the worst droughts in US history. The drought caused $60 billion in damage (between $80 billion and $120 billion for 2008 USD). The concurrent heat waves killed 4,800 to 17,000 people in the United States. During the summer of 1988, the drought led to many forest fires in Western North America, including the Yellowstone fire. At its peak, the drought covered 36% of the United States. This seems minor when compared to the Dust Bowl's 70%, but the drought of 1988 is not only the costliest drought in US history, it is the costliest natural disaster in US history. In Canada, drought-related losses added up to about 1.8 billion [1988] dollars. The state of Minnesota alone saw approximately 1.2 billion dollars in crop losses

Origin

Along the West Coast and Northwestern US the drought developed in 1987 as a result of 1986 to 1987 El Nino in Pacific Ocean. April to June 1988 saw record low rainfalls in the Northern Central United States; lower rainfalls even than during the Dust Bowl. In the Spring of 1988 the sea temperature along the equator in the Pacific was below average, while water from 10 to 20 degrees North was above average. This led to a northward displaced but still active intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) southeast of Hawaii. In the upper atmosphere above North America, the jet stream was displaced northward and there were strong anticyclonic conditions.

References

• The Drought of 1988 book in PDF form
• Sciencemag.org Science Magazine
• 20th Century Drought ncdc.noaa.gov