New Satellite Images Show US May Be Suffering Worst Drought In History

The US may be suffering the worst drought in its history if new satellite images from NASA are any indication.

While it can sometimes be hard to track the progress of climate change and the effects it's having on the world around us year by year, these new photos paint a stark picture of the damage being done.

Parts of the US are suffering from a drought right now and it could be the worst in the history of the country as intense weather conditions threaten the water supply.

In the past week, 40 US states have suffered from a drought of some sort, with the worst conditions hitting the southwest of the country.

One of the worst hit states is Nevada, with large parts of the state suffering from 'Exceptional Drought' conditions, and satellite images from NASA appear to confirm the bad news.

Alamy

Satellite images show just how far water levels in the area have fallen when compared with the start of the millennium, and the difference is startling.

They show that in the past 22 years the Virgin River and Overton Arm have shrunk significantly, in some places reaching a point where the once bountiful rivers have run dry.

The Virgin River and the Overton Arm feed into Lake Mead, the reservoir which provides water for the Hoover Dam, and satellite images have shown how desperately depleted the whole area is compared to 22 years ago.

According to Newsweek, the US southwest is experiencing a 'megadrought' that is likely to be the most severe for 1,200 years.

Scientists have pointed towards man-made climate chance as a major factor behind this megadrought, which has taken such a toll on Lake Mead that it was down to just 27 percent capacity last week, Newsweek reports.

Alamy

The shrinking lakes and rivers are having another unexpected impact as all sorts of things are being dredged up from the depths of Lake Mead near Las Vegas.

A World War Two era landing craft that spent decades submerged beneath the lake has now been made visible thanks to the serious drop in water levels.

While that's a very cool thing to discover, a few dead bodies have also been surrendered by the shrinking lake and everyone is wondering just how they got there.

Plenty think they're linked to mob-related deaths, suggesting the bodies are victims of organised crime who were dumped in the lake by gangsters that probably didn't anticipate being ratted out by the symptoms of climate change.

While it's interesting to see what lies beneath the lakes and rivers, it'd be better if this information didn't come as part of a symptom of a megadrought.

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