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 | Crops are stressed (wheat, canola, alfalfa, pecans); winter wheat germination is delayed |
| Stock pond levels decline |
| D1 | Summer crop and forage yields are reduced |
| Wildfire risk increases |
| Lake recreation activities are affected; deer reproduction is poor |
| Seasonal creek and rainfed pond levels are lowering |
| D2 | Dryland crops are severely reduced; pasture growth is stunted |
| Cattle are stressed |
| Burn bans begin |
| Trees show significant wilting |
| Springfed ponds are slow to refill |
| D3 | Grasses are dormant and hay is nonexistent; planting is delayed; fields are spotty; emergency CRP grazing is authorized |
| Cattle have little water and feed |
| Wildfires are increasing in number and severity |
| Fishing is down; boating is hazardous with low lake levels; game bird populations decline |
| Air quality is poor, with dust storms and smoke |
| Lakes are critically low; producers are hauling water for cattle; wells are drying |
| D4 | Ground is cracking; farmers are bailing failed crops or abandoning fields; pastures are bare; land is abandoned |
| Cost of hay and water is high and supplies are scarce; producers are liquidating herds |
| Burn restrictions increase |
| Fire season is long; rural fire departments are running out of finances |
| Ranchers and farmers are desperate and experiencing huge economic loss |
| Water lines are breaking; reservoir levels are nearing intake; mandatory water restrictions are implemented; water quality is poor |
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.