Data Reveals More than Half the Nation is Experiencing Drought Conditions

June 8, 2022 John Walker

Very low water levels at the Hoover Dam in NevadaSummer is almost here, and the US Drought Monitor indicates more than half the nation is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions.

The US Drought Monitor, which is updated weekly, provides categorical data on the severity of drought conditions throughout the country and its major territories at a detailed geographical level, along with discussions around current and projected near-term conditions.

It is produced jointly by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Their website includes a variety of mapping features, the ability to download data in both text and GIS formats, and a tool to determine if your county qualifies for the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Livestock Forage Disaster Program.

Chart Title: US Drought Monitor A map of the United States uses color gradients, text, and lines to show the intensity and impacts of drought across the country. The colors represent the four levels of drought intensity used by the index, from D0 (abnormally dry) to D4 (exceptional drought). Text and lines on the map represent the impacts of drought. This includes lines showing where the dominant impacts are being experienced and text representing short-term impacts of less than 6 months, long-term impacts of more than 6 months, and combined short- and long- term impacts. A visual review of the map shows that the areas of the worst drought intensities are almost exclusively located west of the Mississippi River, with exceptional drought (D4) areas in central Oregon, southern California, Southern Nevada, southern New Mexico, western Texas, western Oklahoma, and Southern Louisiana. A few areas east of the Mississippi River show severe drought intensities (D2), including southern Florida, and coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Areas of abnormally dry (D0) intensities are scattered throughout the eastern part of the state. The areas of the country experiencing dominant long-term impacts of drought are western Washington and Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Maine. Areas experiencing short- and long-term impacts are eastern Oregon, Utah, Nebraska, northwest Texas, southern Louisiana, and the coastal areas of North and South Carolina. Areas experiencing short-term impacts are south Texas, south Florida, south Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Note: Conditions as of May 26, 2022 Data Source: droughtmonitor.unl.edu

What is the Data Telling Us?

Chart Title: Drought Level Within the United States, Cumulative Percentage of Continental US by Severity, 2018-2022 An area chart shows the levels of moderate, severe, extreme, and exceptional drought in the US between 2018 and 2022. The chart indicates that 40% of the country saw drought levels of some degree in 2018. Those levels then all dropped below 5% in early 2019, but by late 2019, they had started climbed again until it reach just over 60% in 2022. Data Source: droughtmonitor.unl.eduSince late 2021, more than half of the United States has been under moderate drought conditions or worse. What’s more, these areas are home to more than one in four people in the country.  This stands in stark contrast to levels seen as recently as 2020 when that measure remained below 20% for the first five months of the year.

As for the most acute conditions, fully 20% of the country falls into the extreme and exceptional drought categories — a measure that saw its most recent peak in August 2021, reaching a worryingly high 27%.

Regionally the percentages differ drastically. As of late May 2022, the percent of land area experiencing moderate drought conditions or worse in the Northeast and Midwest was in the low single digits (2% and 1%, respectively). The Southeast rated 11% while the South and West each hovered around 50%. The region defined as the High Plains, however, stood at over 70%.

Why is it Important?

Different governmental organizations base their policies around disaster declarations and program eligibility on the US Drought Monitor. Beyond those cases, current and accurate information is key to guiding public policy regarding water use by households, industry, and agriculture. Extending back to the year 2000, the data allows people to understand how these conditions have changed within their specific location and it can inform decisions around water storage capacity, flood control, hydropower, fire preparedness, and more.

Many water-related policies focus on reducing demand with the goal of water security through sustainable use. Uncertainty around climate conditions puts a premium on quality data and the US Drought Monitor provides a consistent, robust, and publicly available dataset for use by individuals, communities, and government agencies.
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The US Drought Monitor 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. Map courtesy of NDMC.
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