Spatiotemporal Changes of Correlated Hot, Dry, and Windy Conditions in the Central United States

High temperature, low humidity, and high-speed winds simultaneously cause an atmospheric condition that disturbs the plant's water balance, increase evapotranspiration, and damage crops. The objective of this study is to calculate the frequency of hot-dry-windy events in the warm season during 1948−2018 in the central United States. The frequency of extreme compound events were calculated applying fixed thresholds for temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity. The highest and lowest frequency was discovered in July and May, respectively. Spatially, Kansas and Northern Texas showed the highest frequency of these events. Temporally, 1980 and 2011 were the years with the highest average frequency of compound hot-dry-windy condition in the central United States. Trend of compound hot-dry-windy condition was mostly increasing in the western half of the central United States and decreasing in the eastern part. Results of this study provides valuable information about hot spots where the highest risk of hot-dry-windy conditions is expected in the central United States and for improving water management strategies.