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 | Pasture and row crop growth is stunted; planting is delayed |
| Fires increase |
| Canoe business declines |
| Landscaping is stressed; lawns are brown; birds show signs of stress |
| River levels decline |
| D1 | Topsoil is dry; corn yield is small; pastures are not growing; crops are stressed |
| Urban watering is extensive |
| Fire threat increases; burn bans begin |
| Pond and river levels decline |
| D2 | Soil cracks are large and deep; corn and soybeans are cut for silage |
| Vegetable produce is smaller and yields are decreased |
| Trees are stressed |
| Surface water levels are very low; low reservoirs are noticeable; voluntary city water restrictions are requested |
| D3 | Corn is high in nitrates; major crop loss is reported; hay and water for cattle is limited; hay is expensive; producers are hauling water |
| Burn bans are common; fires spread easily |
| Mature tree death is common; insect populations decrease; fish kills occur |
| Building foundation damage occurs |
| Ponds are dried; wells are drying; large lakes and reservoirs are extremely low; mandatory water restrictions are implemented |
| D4 | Agriculture loss is widespread |
| Cattle sales increase; cattle are lighter at auctions; producers are culling; premature birthing is reported |
| Bird hunting decreases |
| People are in a state of desperation |
| Landscape goes dormant |
| People are digging deeper and more wells, extending pipelines; Lack of hydropower causes electrical failures |
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.