Record Heat for the Intermountain West and Northern Plains; Heavy Rainfall and Severe Weather Threats

Record setting heat is expected over the next several days from the Intermountain West through the northern Plains. Furthermore, fire weather concerns increase with dry and breezy conditions. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorm threats for the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys, central Appalachians and Southeast today. The threat shifts to central Gulf Coast and across central Texas this week. Read More >

Overview

This page provides a variety of information related to drought.

Current Drought Maps
Change Maps
Local Drought Statement
Past Precipitation
Forecast Precipitation
Soil Moisture
Streamflow
Drought Indices
Drought Outlooks
Climate Outlooks
County Browser
Other Resources

Current Drought Maps

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/current/current_wfooax_trd.png		The categories of drought are defined as follows: Abnormally Dry (D0) - Going into drought: short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops or pastures; fire risk above average. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; pastures or crops not fully recovered. Moderate Drought (D1) - Some damage to crops, pastures; fire risk high; streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent, voluntary water use restrictions requested. Severe Drought (D2) - Crop or pasture losses likely; fire risk very high; water shortages common; water restrictions imposed. Extreme Drought (D3) - Major crop/pasture losses; extreme fire danger; widespread water shortages or restrictions. Exceptional Drought (D4) - Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; exceptional fire risk; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells, creating water emergencies.
Nebraska	Iowa

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly collaborative effort between a number of federal agencies including NOAA/NWS, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Local Drought Statement
National Drought Statements
U.S. Drought Monitor

Drought Change Maps

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/png/current/current_wfooax_trd.png		The categories of drought are defined as follows: Abnormally Dry (D0) - Going into drought: short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops or pastures; fire risk above average. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; pastures or crops not fully recovered. Moderate Drought (D1) - Some damage to crops, pastures; fire risk high; streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent, voluntary water use restrictions requested. Severe Drought (D2) - Crop or pasture losses likely; fire risk very high; water shortages common; water restrictions imposed. Extreme Drought (D3) - Major crop/pasture losses; extreme fire danger; widespread water shortages or restrictions. Exceptional Drought (D4) - Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; exceptional fire risk; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells, creating water emergencies.
1 Week Change	4 Week Change
8 Week Change	12 Week Change
26 Week Change	52 Week Change

Local Drought Statement

To see the local drought information statement in pdf form or to view past statements, visit OAX Drought Statements.

Past Precipitation

Click the image to enlarge.

	Precipitation	Departure from Normal	Percent of Normal
7 days
14 days
30 days
60 days
90 days
Standardized Precipitation Index

Data courtesy High Plains Climate Center

Forecast Precipitation

Click the image to enlarge.

Day 1	Day 2
Day 3	Days 4-5
Days 6-7	7 Day Total
Days 6-10	Days 8-14

Soil Moisture

The maps show the departure from normal 30-year climatology.

Soil Moisture Outlooks

Streamflow

Click the image to enlarge.

The real-time streamflow map tracks short-term changes (over several hours) in rivers and streams. The daily streamflow map shows average streamflow conditions for the previous day. The 7, 14, and 28 day streamflow maps below show the average streamflow conditions, and are more indicative of longer-term streamflow conditions than either the real-time or the daily streamflow maps. The maps depict average streamflow conditions as computed at USGS streamgages. The colors represent average streamflow compared to percentiles of historical average streamflow for the day of the year. Only streamgages having at least 30 years of record are used.

Real Time
Daily
7 Day
14 Day
28 Day

Data courtesy United States Geological Survey

Drought Indices

National Drought Mitigation Center Data

Drought Outlooks

Click the image to enlarge.

Monthly Drought Outlook

Seasonal Drought Outlook

Climate Outlooks

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Weeks 3-4 Temperature	Weeks 3-4 Precipitation
Monthly Temperature	Monthly Precipitation
Three Monthly Temperature	Three Monthly Precipitation