DOI: 10.3886/e233221v1
title: Climate.gov Data Snapshots: Drought Monitor

description: <b>Q: Does the environment have enough water to sustain ecosystems, agriculture, and local economies that depend on it? </b><br><br><b>
 </b><b>A: </b>Colors
 show experts' assessments of conditions related to dryness and drought.
 These maps focus on broad-scale conditions, so local conditions may 
vary. Categories reflect how much water is available in streams, lakes, 
and soils compared to usual for the same time of year. The darker the 
shade on the map, the more intense the drought conditions.

For maps showing drought status in Alaska, Hawai'i, and other U.S. 
territories, please access the source data for this snapshot, the U.S. Drought Monitor.

 
 <br><b>Q: What information do experts use to make these maps?
</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A:</b> Each
 week, drought experts consider how recent precipitation totals compare 
to their long-term averages. They check temperatures, moisture levels in
 soils, and water levels in streams and lakes. They also watch for 
indicators of drought such as vegetation stress. Altogether, experts 
check dozens of indicators to establish consensus for drought categories
 across the map. Before the weekly map is published, up to 350 people 
across the country review the draft to check it against reality. Each 
final map represents experts' best judgments of regional-scale drought 
conditions, validated by partners in the field.

 
 <br><b>Q: What do the colors mean?</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A: </b>Colors
 on the map show where the land is drier than usual for this time of 
year. Areas shown in yellow are Abnormally Dry. In general, this 
category indicates land that is going into or coming out of drought. Tan
 areas are experiencing Moderate Drought: water supplies may be low and 
damage may occur to crops and pastures. Orange areas are in Severe 
Drought: water shortages are common and crop and pasture losses are 
likely. Red areas are experiencing Extreme Drought. Areas in this 
category may experience widespread water shortages and major losses of 
crops and pastures; forests in these areas become dry and susceptible to
 fire. Dark red areas are in Exceptional Drought. Shortages of water in 
streams, reservoirs, and wells in these areas can lead to water 
emergencies. Failed crops, barren pastures, and tinder-dry forests may 
be widespread across these areas.

 
 <br><b>Q: Why do these data matter?</b><b>
 </b><b><br></b><b>A:</b> Most
 regions of the United States experience drought at least occasionally. 
Depending on its severity and duration, drought can devastate crops and 
forests, lead to shortages of food for livestock and wildlife, increase 
the risk of wildfires, and have a negative effect on local and regional 
economies. Weekly updates on drought status keep decision makers and 
natural resource managers informed of current conditions.

 
 <br><b>Q: How did you produce these snapshots?</b><b>
 </b><br><b>A:</b> Data
 Snapshots are derivatives of existing data products. To meet the needs 
of a broad audience, we present the same data as current products in a 
simplified visual style. This set of snapshots is based on the U.S. 
Drought Monitor, which is jointly produced by the National Drought 
Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the 
United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration. To produce these Drought maps, we run a 
script that accesses map layers from NMDC and assembles them on a 
prepared base map.

To view the original data in an interactive format, please visit the U.S. Drought Monitor.

 
 
 
 <br><b>References</b>
 
 Drought: History of the U.S. Monitoring System Drought: The Weekly Drill behind the U.S. Drought Monitor <br>Drought: The Importance of Drought Indicators <br>NWS Drought Fact Sheet
 
 
 
 <br><br>Source: https://www.climate.gov/maps-data/data-snapshots/data-source/drought-monitor<br><br>This upload includes two additional files:<br>* Drought Monitor _NOAA Climate.gov.pdf is a screenshot of the main Climate.gov site for these snapshots.<br>* Cimate_gov_ Data Snapshots.pdf is a screenshot of the data download page for the full-resolution file<br><br><br>
description: Data is divided in to folders by image resolution -- full size (zip), small (png) and large (png). Occasionally there may be one image missing in a particular size but available in another size.<br><br>Data downloaded from climate.gov 6/17/2025.