Where is the drought? Will it change? What are its impacts?
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Reports from media, observers and other sources on drought impacts by state and county, by category, and by time period. >> Launch Site
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Wildfire Risks
Wildfire risk is mostly normal for the continental U.S. However, long term drought coupled with increasing potential for offshore winds will keep potential elevated in California through October. >>Click for more information on US Wildfire
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Summary of Drought This Week
As of April 21, 2015, drought (D1-D4) is impacting:
- 31.1% of the area of U.S. and 37.1% of the lower 48 states.
- 76.9 million people in the U.S. and 76.9 million people in the lower 48 states.
Between April 14-21, moderate to heavy rain fell across portions of the Southeast, the Gulf Coast, the Great Plains, and the Ohio Valley. Areas of abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate drought (D1) were eliminated from eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, and central and southern Alabama gained a one-category improvement. Precipitation amounts were generally light in the interior Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the northern Plains. In California, exceptional drought (D4) expanded across the northern Sierras.
For more information, see the narratives for the:
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NIDIS in Your Region
Click for more information on NIDIS Regional activities
| Southeast | California |
| Northwest | 4-Corners |
| Upper Colorado | Missouri River |
| Southern Plains | Carolina Coast |
Drought in your backyard
How is drought affecting you? Enter your zip code for current conditions:
NOAA and the CA Water Action Plan: Partnership for resilience
NOAA and its partners have been providing California with research, analyses, publications, forecasts, communications and stakeholder engagements to support drought preparedness, mitigation and recovery. NOAA's activities illustrate its ongoing commitment to support the state in addressing the issues and actions identified in the Water Action Plan.
Webinar series features Western experts on water and drought management
Inspired by its Drought Forum initiative, the Western Governors' Association is presenting a five-webinar series examining the challenges of drought management. Topics include re-used, produced and brackish water; reducing municipal water consumption; the role of data in understanding and predicting dry conditions; managing forests for water resource needs; and how local approaches to hydrology and legal structures can be applied regionally.
More information and registration here.
USDA Federal Drought Assistance