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Heatwave vs Drought - What's the difference?

heatwave | drought |

As nouns the difference between heatwave and drought

is that heatwave is a period of very hot weather while drought is a period of below average rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.

heatwave

English

Alternative forms

* heat wave

Noun

(en noun)
  • A period of very hot weather.

    • drought

    English

    Alternative forms

    * drouth

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A period of below average rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
    • , author=Donald Worster , title=A Drier and Hotter Future , volume=100, issue=1, page=70 , magazine= citation , passage=Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought , and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.}}
  • (by extension, informal) A longer than expected term without success, particularly in sport.