Small et al. (2026) The 1957–1976 Summertime Drought Gap in the Southeastern United States

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Southeastern geographer
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-02-28
• Authors: Gabriel J. Small, Avery A. Catherwood, Paul A. Knapp
• DOI: 10.1353/sgo.2026.a984028

Research Groups

Not explicitly stated in the abstract.

Short Summary

This paper examined drought frequency in the Southeastern United States from 1931–2024, identifying an exceptional 20-year drought-free period (1957–1976) concurrent with below-average temperatures and a negative Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation phase, suggesting a rare climatological event unlikely to reoccur.

Objective

• To examine drought frequency and the occurrence of drought-free periods in the Southeastern United States (excluding Florida) from 1931–2024.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Southeastern United States (excluding Florida), across 38 climate divisions.
• Temporal Scale: 1931–2024 for the full study period; specific focus on the 1957–1976 drought gap.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified in the abstract; implies statistical analysis of historical climate data.
• Data sources: Not specified in the abstract; implied to be historical climate records for drought frequency, temperature, and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO).

Main Results

• An exceptional 20-year drought-free period occurred from 1957–1976 across most (28 contiguous) of 38 climate divisions in the Southeastern United States.
• This 20-year drought gap was fivefold longer than the next longest drought gap (4 years) observed during the study period.
• The drought gap was concurrent with below-average temperatures, absent dry conditions, the core of the Southeastern "warming hole," and a negative phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO).
• These conditions suggest an unusual climatological event drove the multi-decadal drought hiatus.
• The likelihood of a drought gap of this magnitude reoccurring under current climatological conditions approaches zero, indicating a climatologically rare to potentially unique event.

Contributions

• Highlights the critical importance of drought-free periods for various environmental and socioeconomic aspects, a topic comparatively under-focused in existing literature.
• Identifies and characterizes an exceptional, multi-decadal drought hiatus in the mid-20th century Southeastern United States, demonstrating its unique spatiotemporal scale.
• Suggests specific climatological drivers (below-average temperatures, negative AMO, "warming hole") for this rare event, contributing to the understanding of regional climate variability.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Small202619571976,
  author = {Small, Gabriel J. and Catherwood, Avery A. and Knapp, Paul A.},
  title = {The 1957–1976 Summertime Drought Gap in the Southeastern United States},
  journal = {Southeastern geographer},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1353/sgo.2026.a984028},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1353/sgo.2026.a984028}
}