Map released: Thurs. December 5, 2024
Data valid: December 3, 2024 at 7 a.m. EST

Intensity

  • None
  • D0 (Abnormally Dry)
  • D1 (Moderate Drought)
  • D2 (Severe Drought)
  • D3 (Extreme Drought)
  • D4 (Exceptional Drought)
  • No Data

Authors

United States and Puerto Rico Author(s):

Pacific Islands and Virgin Islands Author(s):

The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conditions. Local conditions may vary. See accompanying text summary for forecast statements.

Statistics

Statistics type ?
Week Date None D0-D4 D1-D4 D2-D4 D3-D4 D4 DSCI

Estimated Population in Drought Areas:

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 have the same experience during a drought. Below are examples of some of the impacts experienced in Illinois in the past. The process for developing this example impact table is described in Noel, M., Bathke, D., Fuchs, B., Gutzmer, D., Haigh, T., Hayes, M., Poděbradská, M., Shield, C., Smith, K. and Svoboda, M., 2020. Linking drought impacts to drought severity at the state level. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 101(8), pp.E1312-E1321. doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0067.1. To view a more complete record, and to filter impacts by drought severity, sector and season, check out the interactive State Impacts Tool.

CategoryExamples of historically observed impacts
D0Soil moisture declines; lawns turn brown
D1Fireworks are banned
Row crops and pasture show drought stress
Trees show drought stress; wildlife eat more crops
D2Farmers are stressed; agriculture industry is hurting
Lawns go dormant; weeds grow faster
Outdoor burn bans are implemented
Power plant intake is compromised
Row crop and vegetable conditions are poor; hay yield is low; corn is baled for feed
Water levels in wells, ponds, rivers, and lakes are low; streamflow is below average; voluntary water conservation is requested
D3Disease kills deer; fish are stressed
Vegetation is stressed
Well and reservoir levels are very low
D4Feed prices are high; crop loss is widespread; livestock are culled
Wildlife are severely stressed; fish kills occur in lakes and rivers

How is drought affecting you?

Use the Condition Monitoring Observer Report (CMOR) system to let us know how dry, wet or normal conditions are affecting you, and see what others are saying.

Submit report