A new study shows heat waves increasingly trigger sudden, severe droughts across the world as the planet warms. Not only are they increasing, but that increase is accelerating. The researchers say this heat-first pattern makes droughts stronger and more damaging than droughts that start on their own. Examples include the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome and record heat and drought in the Amazon in 2023-24. One expert not involved in the research said it illustrates how extreme weather events fueled by climate change can build dangerously off each other.