Angelina Valderez Mrs. Fisher Grade 5

 A heat wave is when hot temperatures continue without getting cooler. Droughts are when a area doesn’t get it’s usual rainfall for a long time.

 A heat wave is caused by a high pressure air mass.

 Heat waves and droughts can happen anywhere in the world. A heat wave usually occurs during the summer months and may last only a few days. Droughts can happen any time of the year and last for weeks, months, or even years.

 In 1988 the Midwest suffered from the worst drought in 50 years. In the summer of 1994, there was a record heat wave across Europe.

 A heat wave affect train tracks. They can become soft from the intense heat and bend in half. A drought can affect the ground water, rivers, lakes, and streams.

 A drought can hurt the environment. Animals, fish, and birds will die without water. Soil for growing crops can become so dry it blows away. When crops are dry people lose food which causes problems. A heat wave can affect the environment by farmers not growing there crops. People who live by the forest worry about fires because when it so hot it could starts fires.

. During times of drought, entire lakes can dry up.

 The amount of rainfall in an area is often measured to find out how much rain that area has received.

. Both animals and people can suffer from a drought in desert areas where there is not much water to begin with.

 Burby, Liza. Heat Waves and Droughts. New York: Power Kids Press, Print.  Bender, Lionel. Heat Waves and Drought. Austin: Steck-Vaughn Company, Print.