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National Current Conditions

February 18, 2026 - February 24, 2026

Drought worsened in every state in the Plains (except North Dakota). Scattered parts of the Midwest, South/Southeast, and West also experienced degradations. Meanwhile, drought improved in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions. As of February 24, 2026, 42.81% of the United States and Puerto Rico and 51.13% of the Lower 48 states are in drought.

42.81%

of the U.S. and 51.13% of the lower 48 states are in drought this week.

Increase of
4.9%
since last week
Increase of
16.0%
since last month
145.7 Million

people in the U.S. and 145.4 Million in the lower 48 states are affected by drought this week.

Decrease of
0.4%
since last week
Increase of
3.1%
since last month
46

U.S. states are experiencing Moderate Drought (D1) or worse this week.

Decrease of
1 state
since last week
Decrease of
1 state
since last month

U.S. Drought Monitor

U.S. Drought Monitor
Drought Change Since Last Week
Drought Degradation
Drought Improvement

Precipitation Conditions

Inches of Precipitation
Precipitation Shown as a Percentage of Normal Conditions
100%
Precipitation Shown as a Percentage of Normal Conditions
100%

Temperature Conditions

Maximum Temperature (°F)
60
Departure from Normal Max Temperature (°F)
0
Departure from Normal Max Temperature (°F)
0

Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI)

Drought Conditions
Wet Conditions
Drought Conditions
Wet Conditions

Streamflow Conditions

Streamflow Conditions

Soil Moisture Conditions: 1 Meter (100 cm) Depth

0–100 cm Soil Moisture Percentile
70
100
Soil Moisture Anomaly
0%

Report Impacts

Tell us how drought is impacting your community by submitting a condition monitoring report. Your submissions help us better understand how drought is affecting local conditions.