Meteorological drought in 2014-2017, characteristics and impacts in Cienfuegos province

One of the most damaging weather events on the planet is drought. This phenomenon, it is a climatic affectation that society has faced historically, has seen increased its influence in the last decades, which has led to being considered as one of the biggest natural disasters in the world. The objective of this work is to characterize the 2014-2017 meteorological drought event and its impacts on the Cienfuegos province. The main results were that this meteorological drought event lasted six consecutive seasonal periods, generating a deficit in the provincial territory of more than 600 mm. The main impacts of the meteorological drought in the province became visible in livestock, sugar cane, rice, water supply and in the increase of favorable conditions for the occurrence of forest fires. These results highlight the urgent need for careful attention in the province to the repeated and harmful drought events, which, combined with high evaporation rates, lead to the depletion of soils and the reduction of groundwater reserves.