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An ocean inlet with dry grasses along the water, representing drought. Photo credit: JuneJ, Shutterstock.
A new NIDIS-funded study, led by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, examined the effects of severe drought exposure on mortality risk in the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains.

Advancing Drought Science and Preparedness Across the Nation

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is a multi-agency partnership that coordinates drought monitoring, forecasting, planning, and information at national, tribal, state, and local levels.

Current Conditions and Outlooks

U.S. Drought Monitor Category
Value Map Hex Color % of U.S. Description
D0 - Abnormally Dry #ffff00 19.6 Abnormally Dry Abnormally Dry (D0) indicates a region that is going into or coming out of drought. 
D1 - Moderate Drought #fcd37f 12.2 Moderate Drought Moderate Drought (D1) is the first of four drought categories (D1–D4), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
D2 - Severe Drought #ffaa00 5.2 Severe Drought Severe Drought (D2) is the second of four drought categories (D1–D4), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
D3 - Extreme Drought #e60000 1.2 Extreme Drought Extreme Drought (D3) is the third of four drought categories (D1–D4), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
D4 - Exceptional Drought #730000 0.1 Exceptional Drought Exceptional Drought (D4) is the most intense drought category, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Total Area in Drought (D1–D4) dmtotal 18.6 Total Area in Drought (D1–D4) Percent area of the 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico that is currently in drought (D1–D4), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Drought Outlook Category
Value Map Hex Color % of U.S.
Drought persists #9b634a 14.5
Drought remains but improves #ded2bc 1.0
Drought removal likely #b2ad69 2.6
Drought development likely #ffde63 4.9

News
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News & Events
Despite considerable public health concerns, drought assessments often disregard the health risks associated with drought exposure in the United States, particularly in regional-based assessments (Fard et al., 2022). One potential explanation of the lack of research is the complexity of linking drought to health outcomes. Drought lacks the direct pathway to health outcomes that many other climate
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NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) recently launched an Instagram account. Instagram users can follow NIDIS at @NOAADrought to get the latest current news, conditions, and outlooks wherever they are. Follow us to stay up to date on drought in your region and beyond. NIDIS’s social media is part of our broader effort to provide the best available information to
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Arid and semi-arid areas may face especially high risks of extreme heat and fire.The laws of thermodynamics dictate that a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, but new research has found that atmospheric moisture has not increased as expected over arid and semi-arid regions of the world as the climate has warmed.The findings are particularly puzzling because climate models have been