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Montana

Drought in your area? Report Impacts
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    • Current U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions for Montana
    Current Last Week Last Month

    The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is updated each Thursday to show the location and intensity of drought across the country. This map shows drought conditions across Montana using a five-category system, from Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions to Exceptional Drought (D4). The USDM is a joint effort of the National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, and NOAA. Learn more.

    The following state-specific drought impacts were compiled by the National Drought Mitigation Center. While these impacts are not exhaustive, they can help provide a clearer picture of drought in Montana. 

    D0 - Abnormally Dry
    • Short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops.
    • Some lingering water deficits
    • Pastures or crops not fully recovered
    96.7
    of MT
    D1 - Moderate Drought
    • Some damage to crops, pastures
    • Some water shortages developing
    • Voluntary water-use restrictions requested
    56.5
    of MT
    D2 - Severe Drought
    • Crop or pasture loss likely
    • Water shortages common
    • Water restrictions imposed
    8.6
    of MT
    D3 - Extreme Drought
    • Major crop/pasture losses
    • Widespread water shortages or restrictions
    0.0
    of MT
    D4 - Exceptional Drought
    • Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses
    • Shortages of water creating water emergencies
    0
    of MT
    D0 - Abnormally Dry
    • Short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops.
    • Some lingering water deficits
    • Pastures or crops not fully recovered
    96.7
    of MT
    D1 - Moderate Drought
    • Some damage to crops, pastures
    • Some water shortages developing
    • Voluntary water-use restrictions requested
    56.5
    of MT
    D2 - Severe Drought
    • Crop or pasture loss likely
    • Water shortages common
    • Water restrictions imposed
    8.6
    of MT
    D3 - Extreme Drought
    • Major crop/pasture losses
    • Widespread water shortages or restrictions
    0.0
    of MT
    D4 - Exceptional Drought
    • Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses
    • Shortages of water creating water emergencies
    0
    of MT
    D0 - Abnormally Dry
    • Short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops.
    • Some lingering water deficits
    • Pastures or crops not fully recovered
    85.6
    of MT
    D1 - Moderate Drought
    • Some damage to crops, pastures
    • Some water shortages developing
    • Voluntary water-use restrictions requested
    48.3
    of MT
    D2 - Severe Drought
    • Crop or pasture loss likely
    • Water shortages common
    • Water restrictions imposed
    16.2
    of MT
    D3 - Extreme Drought
    • Major crop/pasture losses
    • Widespread water shortages or restrictions
    0.4
    of MT
    D4 - Exceptional Drought
    • Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses
    • Shortages of water creating water emergencies
    0
    of MT
    Source(s):

    NDMC, NOAA, USDA
    Source(s):

    NDMC, NOAA, USDA
    Source(s):

    NDMC, NOAA, USDA
    Updates Weekly  -  02/23/21
    Updates Weekly  -  02/16/21
    Updates Weekly  -  01/26/21
    Learn more about these data
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    Explore Drought Conditions by City and County

    Summary

    View up-to-date drought conditions down to the city and county level, including temperature, and precipitation conditions, key drought indicators, outlooks, historical conditions, and water supply, agriculture, and public health maps.

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    Drought in Montana from 2000–Present

    The U.S. Drought Monitor started in 2000. Since 2000, the longest duration of drought (D1–D4) in Montana lasted 307 weeks beginning on May 16, 2000, and ending on March 28, 2006. The most intense period of drought occurred the week of September 12, 2017, where D4 affected 25.94% of Montana land.

    Explore Historical Drought Maps

      The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a national map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are currently in drought. The USDM relies on drought experts to synthesize the best available data and work with local observers to interpret the information. The USDM also incorporates ground truthing and information about how drought is affecting people, via a network of more than 450 observers across the country, including state climatologists, National Weather Service staff, Extension agents, and hydrologists. Learn more.

      The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is an index to characterize meteorological drought on a range of timescales, ranging from 1 to 72 months. The SPI is the number of standard deviations that observed cumulative precipitation deviates from the climatological average. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information produce the 9-month SPI values below on a monthly basis, going back to 1895. Learn more.

      Tree rings are used to extend the instrumental record of drought to over 2,000 years. The Living Blended Drought Product (LBDP) is a recalibrated data series of June-July-August Palmer Modified Drought Index (PMDI) values in the lower 48 U.S. states. This dataset blends tree-ring reconstructions and instrumental data to estimate the average summer PMDI values, which extend over 2,000 years in some parts of the U.S. Learn more.

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    Web Resources for Montana

    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. 

    Drought in your area? Report Impacts
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