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 | Small brush fires increase |
| Increased landscape irrigation is needed; voluntary water conservation is requested |
| D1 | Burn bans are possible |
| Trees and bushes begin browning |
| Water supply decreases |
| D2 | Pasture is drying, hay yields are low |
| Large increase of wildfire abundance; fire danger is elevated; burn bans are implemented |
| Lawns and landscapes go dormant |
| Bears and snakes change food and water habitats |
| Air and water quality are poor; water salinity is high; river and lake levels are low |
| D3 | Fire danger is extreme; fire restrictions increase |
| Saltwater species replace freshwater species; sea intrusion |
| Nesting bird populations grow with increased nesting area; mosquitoes increase |
| Fish kills occur; toxic algae blooms appear |
| Ground water declines; Lake Okeechobee is extremely low |
| D4 | Ground water declines rapidly |
| Large municipalities use alternative water sources, borrow water |
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.