'Megadrought' in West directly linked to climate change, experts say

The "megadrought" that is plaguing a large part of the Western U.S. is a direct consequence of warming global temperatures, according to experts.

The "megadrought" that's plaguing much of the western U.S. is a direct consequence of warming global temperatures, according to experts. The term is used to describe a severe and intense drought that spans a couple of decades, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist Brad Pugh told ABC News. The current megadrought is further evidence that the climate has been warming over past decades, according to the experts. "Essentially, half of the severity of the ongoing megadrought has been attributed to warming temperatures alone -- and without that warming, the drought would arguably not be a megadrought at all," UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain told ABC News.