Imagine your garden needs water to grow, but the rain stops for a long time. If there’s no rain and the ground doesn’t have enough moisture left, plants can’t grow, and even the soil becomes dry. That’s like a drought, when the land stays dry for many months or years because there isn’t enough water coming in.
The Water Cycle
Rain comes from clouds that form when the sun heats up the Earth. If it doesn’t rain for a long time, the ground can’t get wet again quickly, so the drought keeps going. Sometimes, the wind carries away the little bit of moisture there is, making the dryness even worse.
Examples
- A garden doesn’t get water for a whole summer, its plants wilt and die.
- A river becomes shallow, making it hard for boats to float along it.
- The ground cracks like a dried-up lake.
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See also
- How Does the Ocean Affect Weather Patterns?
- How Do Mountains Affect the Weather?
- What Causes a ‘Polar Vortex’ and How Does It Work?
- What Causes ‘Fog’ and Why Does It Happen More in Some Places?
- What Causes a Storm to ‘Form’?
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