Scientists said February 14, 2022, that the megadrought currently going on in the American West could be worse – both drier and longer – than droughts going back to the year 800 CE. The scientists said they believe the drought in the U.S. West – which has already lasted 20 years – could last at least 30 years. Bottom line: The megadrought of 2000-2021 might exceed the record droughts since the year 800, causing disruption to life in the American West.