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Hazard Planning & Preparedness

Drought is a significant threat to communities across the nation, with unique challenges, cascading impacts, and associated hazards. By integrating drought into hazard mitigation and preparedness planning, planners, emergency managers, and other practitioners can help mitigate the drought impacts that compound and amplify the impacts of other natural hazards.

Drought & Cascading Hazards

Cost of Major Drought Events Since 1980
Value Map Hex Color
$0 #ffffff
$5M - $100M #faf3ce
$100M - $250M #faea96
$250M - $500M #ffe971
$500M - $1B #f9c555
Value Map Hex Color
$1B - $2B #f3a43f
$2B - $5B #d27e3f
$5B - $10B #a9512a
$10B - $20B #762212
$20B - $50B #501011
Forecast Risk of Fire Weather
Value Map Hex Color Description
Elevated #ffb67b Elevated Fire weather conditions are forecast to be elevated for temperature, wind, and relative humidity. Learn more about these designations.
Critical #fe7677 Critical Fire weather conditions are forecast to be critical for temperature, wind, and relative humidity. Learn more about these designations.
Extremely Critical #fe7afb Extremely Critical Fire weather conditions are forecast to be extremely critical for temperature, wind, and relative humidity. Learn more about these designations.
Isolated Dry Thunderstorms #bd998a Isolated Dry Thunderstorms The Storm Prediction Center has issued a forecast for isolated dry thunderstorms. This heightens the risk of fire ignition due to cloud-to-ground lightning, assuming a dry fuel bed. Learn more about these designations.
Scattered Dry Thunderstorms #501011 Scattered (Critical) Dry Thunderstorms The Storm Prediction Center has issued a forecast for scattered (critical) dry thunderstorms. This heightens the risk of fire ignition due to cloud-to-ground lightning, assuming a dry fuel bed. Learn more about these designations.
U.S. Drought Monitor
Value Map Hex Color Description
D0 #ffff00 D0 - Abnormally Dry Abnormally Dry (D0) indicates a region that is going into or coming out of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. View typical impacts by state.
D1 #fcd37f D1 – Moderate Drought Moderate Drought (D1) is the first of four drought categories (D1–D4), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. View typical impacts by state.
D2 #fa0 D2 – Severe Drought Severe Drought (D2) is the second of four drought categories (D1–D4), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. View typical impacts by state.
D3 #e60000 D3 – Extreme Drought Extreme Drought (D3) is the third of four drought categories (D1–D4), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. View typical impacts by state.
D4 #730000 D4 – Exceptional Drought Exceptional Drought (D4) is the most intense drought category, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. View typical impacts by state.

1,119
counties with crops experiencing experiencing drought (D1–D4)
0
National Weather Service heat warnings
371,074
people within 10 miles of an active large wildfire
646
counties with USDA drought designations
Key Issues

Cascading Hazards

Extreme weather events can coincide, interact, or cascade—where one disaster event triggers or changes the probability of another event or a series of events.

Planning Integration

By including drought in multi-hazard planning in an integrated way, a community can consolidate its resources and develop coordinated responses before a disaster.

Related Content

Research & Learn | Monitoring Drought

Drought monitoring involves measuring changes in precipitation, temperature, and surface and groundwater supplies, among other factors. Learn more about the importance of monitoring drought.

Communicating About Drought

Drought communication is important not only for informing people about current drought conditions, but also providing drought education and encouraging people to take actions that promote adaptation.