Drought is a deficiency in precipitation over an
extended period, usually a season or more, resulting
in a water shortage causing adverse impacts on
vegetation, animals, and/or people. It is a normal,
recurrent feature of climate that occurs in virtually all
climate zones, from very wet to very dry. Drought is a
temporary aberration from normal climatic conditions,
thus it can vary significantly from one region to
another. Drought is different than aridity, which is a
permanent feature of climate in regions where low
precipitation is the norm, as in a desert