In 2026, a bad drought killed many dryland cotton crops in the Texas High Plains. This area is the largest cotton-producing region in the United States. Satellite pictures from September 2026 showed brown, dry fields. These fields were much greener in the previous year. The pictures also showed dry playa lakes, which are shallow pools that catch rain.
Rewritten with AI from facts reported by NASA Earth Observatory. Read the original for the full report.