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UNL Drought Monitor

LINK: U.S. Drought Monitor (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Fast Facts

  • The U.S. Drought Monitor is made with more than precipitation data.
  • A real person, using real data, makes the USDM.
  • The USDM is a current snapshot, not a forecast.
  • Drought declarations may or may not be based on the USDM.
  • The public can be a part of the drought-monitoring process.
Logo of the National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska, featuring NDMC initials, waves, and parched ground.
USDA logo with stylized green fields and blue letters.
NOAA logo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, with a stylized bird design.

Key Features of the USDM Site

Maps

Access current and historic USDM maps at different spatial scales. You can also overlay the map with other information, see how conditions have changed, download animated GIFs and export customized visuals. Raw GIS data is available to build your own map.

Graphs and Statistics

Use graphs, time series and data tables to neatly convey information about drought coverage and severity, going back to the start of the USDM in 2000. Statistics are available for the extent of drought, and population affected, in each USDM category.

Drought Indicators and Outlooks

Explore the datasets for current climate conditions and inputs that are used by the USDM authors to create the map each week. You can also examine the suite of forecasts and drought outlooks developed by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

Summaries

Consult the weekly USDM summary to get more context and detail for each week’s maps. The summary provides an overview of conditions broken down by region, recent weather highlights and a snapshot of the upcoming forecast.

Drought Impacts

Check out the Drought Impacts Toolkit to track news stories, tweets and citizen science observations of drought’s effects on people, agriculture and the environment. You can also view historic impacts by state, sector or drought severity.

Educational Materials

Visit the About section of our website to learn more and access in-depth tutorials on how to use the USDM.

Website Statistics

When people want to find out about drought, they turn to the USDM. In 2022, the website received 13.9 million page views and hosted 3.6 million users.

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