Compound drought-heat wave hazards are concentrated in US regions with multiple social vulnerabilities and agricultural dependence.

Compound drought-heat wave events are increasingly concentrated in US regions with high social vulnerabilities and agricultural dependence, especially in the South, Southeast, and West.

• Why it matters: Understanding the distribution of these hazards is crucial because socially vulnerable communities face higher risks to health, ecosystems, and economic stability, yet their exposure patterns remain poorly mapped at the national level.
• What they did: The study developed a CDHW metric by combining drought classifications with temperature extremes from 2000-2021, then mapped occurrences against county-level socioeconomic data to identify regional and social vulnerability patterns.
• The result: Findings show that areas with multiple vulnerabilities, such as poverty and aging housing, experience higher CDHW risks, highlighting the need for targeted adaptation strategies to protect the most vulnerable populations.