Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Site Section
By Sector

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

2-4 Week Hazard Outlook
Forecast Risk of Fire Weather
U.S. Drought Monitor

2,389
counties with crops experiencing experiencing drought (D1–D4)
0
National Weather Service heat warnings
1,900,457
people within 10 miles of an active large wildfire
1,176
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.