American Association of State Climatologists

The Mississippi River provides drinking water for millions of Americans, supports hundreds of fish and bird species, and is one of the world’s most important commercial waterways, with an extensive transportation network moving food and other goods across the nation and the world. When drought occurs in the Mississippi River Basin, it can have devastating impacts. Actionable, user-

In 2024, heat and a lack of rainfall led to widespread drought across the Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia). For some locations, this was the worst drought the region experienced in more than two decades. NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Northeast Regional Climate Center (