Potential 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.
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.
How well does this table describe drought impacts in your state for each level of drought on the U.S.Drought Monitor ? Is anything missing ? Please fill out this survey to help improve the table.To submit observations about current drought conditions, please submit a Condition Monitoring Observer Report.
Category | Impact |
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D0 | Soil moisture is low; pasture and row crops are stressed |
Fire danger increases |
Weather is good for construction projects |
Lake and river levels decline; water temperatures rise |
D1 | Winter snow events are canceled |
River and lake levels are lower than normal |
D2 | Ground is hard; seed corn is short; feed is expensive; crop yields are low |
Fire danger is high; burn permits are required |
Landscaping is stressed; leaves change colors early |
Bears search for food; trout runs are hampered; fish kills occur |
River flow is very low; snowpack is significantly lower; well levels decrease |
D3 | Corn is harvested early; emergency haying and grazing are authorized |
Wildfires are widespread |
Surface waters are near record lows |
D4 | Minnesota has had little or no experience in D4 so no impacts have been recorded at that level in the Drought Impact |