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10

primary counties with USDA Drought Disaster Designations, according to USDA Farm Service Agency

~971,700

Idaho residents in areas of drought, according to the Drought Monitor

Increase of
0.0%
since last week
58th

wettest September on record (since 1895)

1.15 in.
total precipitation
Decrease of
0.06 in.
from normal
48th

driest January—September on record (since 1895)

15.43 in.
total precipitation
Decrease of
1.12 in.
from normal
Current Idaho Drought Maps

Drought & Dryness Categories
% of ID
29.1
48.1
13.7
0.9
0.0
62.6
Drought Change Since Last Week
Dry Conditions
Wet Conditions
Dry Conditions
Wet Conditions

Experimental
Experimental

Drought in the Pacific Northwest

Drought and its impacts vary from region to region—due to differences in climate. The Pacific Northwest is an ecologically diverse region where water supplies are heavily reliant on snowpack, precipitation, and groundwater, as well as on highly managed rivers, like the Columbia River. Despite its soggy reputation, the region is primarily wet in the winter but dry in the summer, and has experienced multiple droughts in the early 21st century—impacting agriculture, water supply, hydropower, tourism and recreation, fisheries, and wildland fire regimes.

Recently, in 2001, 2015, and 2021, virtually the entire region experienced significant drought. In 2015 historic levels of drought were experienced across western Washington and Oregon. Over the last several years, while the coastal regions experienced an unprecedented single-year drought, central and southern Oregon and Idaho suffered under a prolonged, multi-year drought.

In response to drought in the region, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) launched the Pacific Northwest Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) in 2016, encompassing Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and western Montana. The Pacific Northwest DEWS is a network of regional and national partners that share information and coordinate actions to help communities in the region cope with drought.

Reach out to Jason Gerlich, the Regional Drought Coordinator for this region, for more information, or sign up for the Pacific Northwest DEWS newsletter.

Idaho State Drought Resources

Idaho Current Conditions

A number of physical indicators are important for monitoring drought, such as precipitation & temperature, water supply (e.g., streamflow, reservoirs), and soil moisture. Learn more about monitoring drought.

Idaho Precipitation Conditions

Inches of Precipitation
Percent of Normal Precipitation (%)
100%
Percent of Normal Precipitation (%)
100%

Idaho Temperature Conditions

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

Idaho Streamflow Conditions

Streamflow Conditions
Streamflow Conditions
Streamflow Conditions

Idaho Soil Moisture Conditions

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

Outlooks & Forecasts for Idaho

Predicting drought in Idaho depends on the ability to forecast precipitation and temperature within the context of complex climate interactions. View more outlooks & forecasts.

Future Precipitation & Temperature Conditions

Predicted Inches of Precipitation
1.75
Probability of Below-Normal Precipitation
100%
Probability of Above-Normal Precipitation
100%
Probability of Below-Normal Temperatures
100%
Probability of Above-Normal Temperatures
100%

Drought Outlooks for Idaho

Drought Is Predicted To...
Drought Is Predicted To...

Historical Drought Conditions in Idaho

Drought is a normal climate pattern that has occurred in varying degrees of length, severity, and size throughout history. Below, you can look back at past drought conditions for Idaho according to 3 historical drought indices. The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly map that shows the location and intensity of drought across the country since 2000. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is a monthly depiction of drought based on precipitation (with data going back to 1895). And the paleoclimate data uses tree-ring reconstructions to estimate drought conditions before we had widespread instrumental records, going back to the year 0 for some parts of the U.S. View more historical conditions.

U.S. Drought Monitor

The U.S. Drought Monitor (2000–present) depicts the location and intensity of drought across the country. Every Thursday, authors from NOAA, USDA, and the National Drought Mitigation Center produce a new map based on their assessments of the best available data and input from local observers. The map uses five categories: Abnormally Dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought (D1–D4). Learn more.

Drought Resources for Idaho

Stay Informed: Local Drought Updates

Drought Alert Emails
Get email updates when U.S. Drought Monitor conditions change for your location or a new drought outlook is released.

Regional Drought Status Updates
NIDIS & its partners issue regional updates covering drought conditions, outlooks/forecasts, and local impacts.

Pacific Northwest Drought Email List
Get regional drought status updates right to your inbox, as well as drought news, webinars, and other events for the Pacific Northwest.

Pacific Northwest DEWS Drought & Climate Outlook Webinars
These webinars provide the region with timely information on current and developing drought conditions, as well as climatic events like El Niño and La Niña.

Get Involved: Submit Local Drought Impacts

Drought in your area? 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.