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 | Rangeland conditions decline |
| D1 | Pasture and crop growth are stunted |
| Surface water levels decline |
| D2 | Crop yields are low; ethanol production decreases and plants begin to close |
| Fires increase; firework restrictions are possible |
| Roadside haying begins |
| Well levels are dropping; mandatory surface water irrigation restrictions are implemented; water use is high |
| D3 | Hay is scarce and expensive; producers are selling cattle early and culling; horses are abandoned |
| Pavement is cracking |
| Fish kills claim thousands of fish; drought-tolerant trees are dying |
| Water temperatures are high; Platte River is dry in sections; water recreation is limited |
| Groundwater use increases; new irrigation wells are drilled |
| D4 | Crop germination is stunted; high levels of nitrate are found in corn |
| Auctions have record number of cattle |
| Wildfire season is destructive and costly |
| Severe case of EHD is observed in deer population; deer hunting is down |
| Municipality water supply is low; trade navigation is hindered on major rivers due to low flow and obstructions |
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.