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 | Ski season is impacted |
| D1 | Some fields are left fallow |
| Water levels begin to decline; recreation and other uses impacted |
| D2 | Pastures are brown; hay yields are down and prices are up; producers are selling cattle |
| Fire risk increases |
| Marshes are drying up, little water is available for waterfowl and wildlife; bears are moving into urban areas |
| River flows are low and tributaries are running dry; conservation efforts begin in irrigation districts |
| D3 | Planting is delayed |
| Wldfire activity is high |
| Waterfowl disease outbreaks increase |
| Low oxygen and high river water temperatures are affecting fish |
| Reservoirs and lakes are very low compared to normal; irrigation water is scarce |
| Pumping well water increases; wells are going dry; homeowners are trucking in potable water |
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.