Current Drought Situation:
The maps below are from the U.S. Drought Monitor. It
shows the latest drought conditions across the United States. An
archive of the U.S. Drought Monitor is available for
CONUS and state scales through January 2000.
The maps below are from the Climate Prediction center Seasonal Drought Outlook
and the National Climatic Data Center Drought Termination and Amelioration index.
The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly
collaborative effort between a number of federal agencies including NOAA/NWS, U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center. The product is updated weekly on Thursdays at 8:30 AM Eastern Time.
For those needing to look at past U.S. Drought Monitors an
archive is available.
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The categories of drought are defined as follows:
Abnormally Dry (D0) - Going into drought: short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops or pastures; fire risk above average. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; pastures or crops not fully recovered.
Moderate Drought (D1) - Some damage to crops, pastures; fire risk high; streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent, voluntary water use restrictions requested.
Severe Drought (D2) - Crop or pasture losses likely; fire risk very high; water shortages common; water restrictions imposed.
Extreme Drought (D3) - Major crop/pasture losses; extreme fire danger; widespread water shortages or restrictions.
Exceptional Drought (D4) - Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; exceptional fire risk; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells, creating water emergencies.
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