Map released: Thurs. May 2, 2024
Data valid: April 30, 2024 at 8 a.m. EDT

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 Ohio 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
D0Crop growth is stunted; stock pond levels decline
D1Drought is hard on landscaping businesses
Fewer mosquitoes are observed than normal
Hay yield is low; hay is expensive; corn is curling; farmers feed hay early; fruit (cherries and plums) yield is low
Small brush fires occur; burn bans begin
Voluntary water restrictions are requested
D2Creeks are dried up
Crops are suffering
Soil is dry, cracked, and pulling away from foundations
The number of wildfires is high
Trees lose leaves early
D3Lawns go dormant
Soybeans are severely dry, crop yields are minimal, supplemental hay for livestock increases, livestock are stressed

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