5 The 2012 Sahel Drought
A combination of failed crops, insect plague, conflict, and extreme drought collectively caused the ensuing famine that is considered one of the worst on the planet in recent years. Since 2012 nearly twenty million people have been facing hunger across eight countries in West Africa including the Sahel region.
4 The 1983–85 Drought in Ethiopia
The worst famine to hit Ethiopia in modern history was caused by an extreme drought that occurred in this region. It resulted in more than 400,000 deaths.
3 The 1982–83 Australian Drought
In terms of short-term rainfall deficiencies (up to one year) and their impacts, the 1982–83 drought was probably Australia’s worst in the twentieth century. It started in autumn 1982, with severe rainfall deficiencies over eastern Australia exacerbated by frequent sharp frosts in June and July. Dry conditions persisted, and by year’s end extensive areas of eastern Australia had had record low April to December rainfall. The upper Murrumbidgee River became a chain of waterholes and reservoirs throughout the southeast fell to levels unknown for many years.
2 The Dust Bowl 1934 - 1940
The Dust Bowl, also known as the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the US and Canadian prairies in the 1930s. The drought came in three waves, 1934, 1936, and 1939–40, but some areas of the high plains experienced drought conditions for as many as eight years. The Dust Bowl affected one hundred million acres centered around the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma and touched adjacent sections of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas, while it forced thousands of families to abandon their farms.
1 The Chinese Drought of 1941
This is considered by many the worst disaster completely attributed to a drought and lack of rainfall without any other factor such as conflicts, war, and other natural disasters occurring at the same time. The Chinese Drought of 1941 prevented millions from growing and consuming crops, as a result, an estimated three million people died.
