Water Stress & Drought
What Is the U.S. Drought Monitor?
The U.S. Drought Monitor blends observations and expert assessment into weekly drought categories for broad areas.
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Use this page to understand U.S. Drought Monitor. Use the live dashboard to see current alerts, infrastructure stress, weather, wildfire, travel, public-health, supply-chain, and stability indicators in one place.
Quick answer / What to check next
Quick answer
The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly map that classifies drought intensity across the United States using categories from abnormally dry through exceptional drought.
What this signal means
Drought affects water supply, agriculture, wildfire conditions, river flows, power generation, and local restrictions.
What to check on HazardNow
Drought category, area coverage, trend over several weeks, local water-agency notices, fire weather, and streamflow.
Verify with official source
U.S. Drought Monitor
Quick read
- Useful for
- Tracking drought extent and severity over weeks to months.
- Watch
- category changes, local impacts, precipitation deficits, soil moisture, and streamflow context.
- Confirm with
- U.S. Drought Monitor, NWS, USGS, and state water agencies.
- Remember
- It is a weekly assessment, not a real-time water gauge.
What the weekly map represents
Drought Monitor categories combine multiple indicators with local expert input. They are useful for regional severity, but a category boundary is not a precise line on the ground.
Use it with current precipitation, reservoir, soil moisture, and streamflow data when decisions depend on local water conditions.
Visual reference
Drought category ladder
Categories move from abnormal dryness to exceptional drought as impacts and deficits deepen.
Official sources to verify
Use these links to verify current source text, update timing, and agency caveats.
Last reviewed: . This page explains general preparedness information and does not replace official instructions.
FAQ
Is u.s. drought monitor a live value on this page?
No. This Learn page is evergreen education. Open the HazardNow dashboard and primary source links for current public context.
What should I do if this signal looks concerning?
Use it as a prompt to verify official sources, providers, operators, or local authorities. HazardNow is informational only.
Related terms
Check the live HazardNow dashboard
Use this page to understand U.S. Drought Monitor. Use the live dashboard to see current alerts, infrastructure stress, weather, wildfire, travel, public-health, supply-chain, and stability indicators in one place. Focus on drought-levels, streamflow, fire-weather in the live view.