Press Briefing: America’s Extreme Drought and Its Climate Connection

CCNow and Climate Central hosted a special webinar on the extreme drought gripping the US, and how a dry spring, worsened by record heat fueled by climate change, is making things worse

Past event: April 22, 2026

Almost half of the US’s population is battling drought — and it’s expanding. A lack of meaningful winter and spring rainfall worsened by record heat fueled by climate change has led to many states dealing with “severe to extreme drought,” increasing wildfire risks and warranting water restrictions for some areas for the first time in decades.

With no significant relief in sight, join Covering Climate Now and Climate Central for a special webinar exploring this evolving drought and how climate change is playing a hand in its intensification.

In this press briefing, meteorologists, water experts, and reporters from drought-stricken areas across the nation highlighted how they’re covering its impact on water supplies, agriculture — and even data centers, and equipped journalists with a better understanding of how to make the climate connection in their own reporting.