The 1980 summer heat wave and drought in historical perspective ( USA).

Abstract

Economic losses during the hot, dry summer of 1980 were estimated at $16 billion. Despite these substantial economic losses, analyses of historical (1895-1980) monthly temperature and precipitation data across the 48 contiguous US indicate that conditions could easily have been worse. Much more hostile ocnditions have existed in the past, particularly during the 1930's and the 1950's. However, the summer of 1980 does not stand out from the past two decades as an extreme anomaly across the southern and southeastern US.-from Authors