Resources: Floods and droughts

Links at the top of this page are to the latest reports on floods and droughts, or conditions that could lead to floods or droughts. Links to information on flood safety, the basic science of floods and droughts (hydrology), and flood and drought history are below the links to current information.

Current drought or flood information

• U.S. Drought Monitor - new map each Thursday
• CPC: U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook
• NWS: Drought statements from local offices
• NWS: Current flooding
• NWS: Significant River Flooding Outlook
• NCDC: Precipitation needed to end current drought

Current hydrological reports, drought and flood conditions or potential

• NWS: National Hydrologic Assessment
• NWS: Current hydrologic conditions (several kinds of reports)
• NWS: Water supply outlooks
• NWS: Outlooks for weather that could affect flooding or droughts
• NWS local offices hydrology statements (flood or drought)
• USGS: Real Time Water Data
• NWS: River conditions
• NWS: Snow conditions
• USACOE: Great Lakes Water Levels Home Page
• NOAA GLERL: Great Lakes water levels
• NWCC: Western water supplies and outlooks
• Calif. Dept. of Water Resources

Flood safety and preparedness

• Floods are weather's biggest killers
• Slot canyons: death traps in flash floods
• NWS: Hurricane flooding, a deadly inland danger

Flood and drought science and research

• National Drought Mitigation Center home page
• El Niño and La Niña often cause droughts, floods
• NWS: Office of Hydrologic Development
• NCAR: Misuse of forecasts in 1997 Red River flood
• How ice jams cause flooding
• Trains of storms can cause floods

Flood and drought history

• NWS: U.S. flood fatalities since 1903
• NWS: U.S. Flood damage since 1903
• NWS: Day-by-day flood summaries since 1997
• USGS: Significant 20th century U.S. floods
• PBS: Surviving the Dust Bowl (drought)
• NOAA NGDC: North American droughts in history and pre history
• NCDC: 1993 Midwest floods, Southeast drought (PDF file)
• Johnstown, Pa. History: The 1889 flood killed 2,200