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 Texas 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.
| Category | Examples of historically observed impacts |
|---|
| D0 | Grass fires increase |
| Planting is postponed; forage germination is stunted; hay cutting is reduced |
| Producers begin supplemental feeding for livestock |
| Surface water levels decline |
| D1 | Dryland crops are stunted |
| Early cattle sales begin |
| Stock tanks, creeks, streams are low; voluntary water restrictions are requested |
| Wildfire frequency increases |
| D2 | Hydroelectric power is compromised; well water use increases; mandatory water restrictions are implemented |
| Pasture conditions are very poor |
| Soil is hard, hindering planting; crop yields decrease |
| Wildfire danger is severe; burn bans are implemented |
| Wildlife moves into populated areas |
| D3 | Increased risk of large wildfires is noted |
| Many sectors experience financial burden |
| Need for supplemental feed, nutrients, protein, and water for livestock increases; herds are sold |
| Row and forage crops fail to germinate; decreased yields for irrigated crops and very large yield reduction for dryland crops are reported |
| Severe fish, plant, and wildlife loss reported |
| Soil has large cracks; soil moisture is very low; dust and sand storms occur |
| Water sanitation is a concern; reservoir levels drop significantly; surface water is nearly dry; river flow is very low; salinity increases in bays and estuaries |
| D4 | Boat ramps are closed; obstacles are exposed in water bodies; water levels are at or near historic lows |
| Culling continues; producers wean calves early and liquidate herds due to importation of hay and water expenses |
| Devastating algae blooms occur; water quality is very poor |
| Exceptional and widespread crop loss is reported; rangeland is dead; producers are not planting fields |
| Exceptional water shortages are noted across surface water sources; water table is declining |
| Extreme sensitivity to fire danger; firework restrictions are implemented |
| Seafood, forestry, tourism, and agriculture sectors report significant financial loss |
| Widespread tree mortality is reported; most wildlife species’ health and population are suffering |