What are droughts?

A drought is when a place doesn’t get enough water for a long time, like when your favorite plant forgets to drink.

Imagine you have a big glass of water that you use to fill up your little cup every day. That’s like rain, it gives the ground and plants the water they need. But if one day, the big glass is empty, and no more water comes in for weeks or even months, your little cup can’t be filled anymore. That’s a drought, the ground and plants are thirsty because there's not enough rain, just like you might feel thirsty if you didn’t drink for a while.

During a drought, rivers get smaller, lakes shrink, and even the grass turns brown. It’s as if the whole place is holding its breath, waiting for rain to come again.

Sometimes, people have to use more water from wells or reservoirs to keep their gardens green and their homes full of water, just like you might use a bigger cup to get more water when your little one runs out.

Droughts are not scary, they’re just the Earth saying, “I need a drink!”