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 | Irrigation demand is higher than normal |
| Ski areas open later, visitation is lower, snowpack is lower |
| D1 | Dryland hay and grain crop yields are low; other crops and pasture are in poor condition |
| Well levels decline; reservoir levels are low; water shortages occur; water conservation programs are in place |
| Fire risk is elevated, fires spread easily |
| Deer are scrawny; bird population suffers due to loss of food and habitat; trees are stressed |
| D2 | Grazing season is shortened, vegetation is sparse; crops are left unharvested; feedlots are not profitable |
| River levels are very low |
| Hydroelectric power is down; irrigation water allotments are significantly curtailed |
| D3 | Dryland farms are left fallow; forage is limited; cattle herds are cut |
| Spring snowpack is very low |
| Number of fires increase |
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.