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Crop Moisture Index (CMI)

Associated Agencies

National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center (CPC)

The CMI gives the short-term or current status of purely agricultural drought or moisture surplus and can change rapidly from week to week. The CMI indicate general conditions and not local variations caused by isolated rain. Calculation of the CMI are made for 350 climatic divisions in the United States and Puerto Rico. Input to the calculations include the weekly precipitation total and average temperature, division constants (water capacity of the soil, etc.) and previous history of the indices. The CMI can be used to measure the status of dryness or wetness affecting warm season crops and field activities.

Interactive Map: Crop Moisture Index

Crop Moisture Index data were available via indices text files. Text files are available by National Weather Service regions across the contiguous United States (CONUS). Regional text files were ingested, combined, and spatialized to display the Crop Moisture Index data for CONUS. 

View Indices Table

Dry Conditions
Value Map Hex Color
Abnormally Dry #ffffbd
Excessively Dry #ffd27e
Severely Dry #ffa800
Wet Conditions
Value Map Hex Color
Abnormally Moist #e9ffbb
Wet #a9ff00
Excessively Wet #076900
Other Values
Value Map Hex Color
Slightly Dry / Favorably Moist #fff
Missing / Incomplete #000

How to

What can I do with these data?

  • Check weekly measurement of short-term needs vs. available water (dry to wet)

How do I use the site?

  • Data Tables: Select a Region to view weekly data. Archived data are located under the “Archives” section.
  • Crop Moisture Index Map: depiects short-term (up to 4 weeks) abnormal dryness or wetness affecting agriculture.

Access

Data Tables: home page for the Palmer Drought Severity and Crop Moisture Indices.

Crop Moisture Index map: depicts short-term (up to 4 weeks) abnormal dryness or wetness affecting agriculture. Map updates weekly.