Allspring Global Investments – The Great Western Drought: What Could It Mean for Markets?

As we write this article in mid-August, authorities across the Rocky Mountains are issuing flood warnings. Monsoon rains have drenched deserts and mountains in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, with eight million Americans significantly affected. These extraordinary conditions belie an even more severe and longer-term challenge: the intense drought crisis throughout the western U.S.