Current Impacts
To see or report current drought impacts, please visit the Drought Impacts Toolkit, where you can find impacts from media in the Drought Impact Reporter, and from citizen scientists and other volunteer observers under Condition Monitoring Observations.
Historic Impacts
No two states experience the same set of impacts during a drought. We developed tables of impacts reported during past droughts in each state for each level of drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor. These state-specific possible impacts complement the general, national possible impacts column of the U.S. Drought Monitor Classification Scheme.
| Category | Historically observed impacts |
|---|
| D0 | Hay production decreases; rangeland is dry |
| Irrigation begins sooner |
| D1 | Rangeland growth is stunted; very little hay is available |
| Dryland crops suffer |
| Wildfires increase |
| Pheasant population declines; ski season is limited |
| D2 | CRP lands suffer |
| Farmers reduce planting; producers sell cattle |
| Fire season is extended |
| Snowpack is low; surface water levels are low; river flow is reduced |
| D3 | Pasture conditions worsen |
| City landscapes are dying |
| Large fires develop |
| Rafting, fishing, hunting, skiing are reduced; fish kills occur |
| Grasshopper and insect infestation are noted |
| Reservoirs are extremely low; mandatory water restrictions are implemented; water temperature increases |
| D4 | Dust storms and topsoil removal are widespread |
| Agricultural and recreational economic losses are large |
How well does this table characterize drought impacts in your state? Think an impact is missing? Please fill out this survey to help improve the table.