Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Site Section
By Location | States

Louisiana

Drought in your area? Report Impacts
  • On This Page
    • Current U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions for Louisiana
    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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana. 

    D0 - Abnormally Dry
    • Grass fires increase
    13.4
    of LA
    D1 - Moderate Drought
    • Farmers plant fewer crops
    • Fire risk increases
    0.0
    of LA
    D2 - Severe Drought
    • Grass is not growing; ground is cracking; grazing forage is lost
    • Trees are stressed
    • Creeks and bayou water levels are low
    0
    of LA
    D3 - Extreme Drought
    • Rice crop is expensive to maintain; soybean yields are reduced; rye growth is stunted
    • Saltwater intrudes into rivers; rivers are too salty for irrigation
    • Trees are drought stressed; crawfish population is low
    0
    of LA
    D4 - Exceptional Drought
    • Pasture and crop loss is widespread
    • Mosquito numbers decrease
    • Fishing is compromised
    0
    of LA
    D0 - Abnormally Dry
    • Grass fires increase
    13.4
    of LA
    D1 - Moderate Drought
    • Farmers plant fewer crops
    • Fire risk increases
    0.0
    of LA
    D2 - Severe Drought
    • Grass is not growing; ground is cracking; grazing forage is lost
    • Trees are stressed
    • Creeks and bayou water levels are low
    0
    of LA
    D3 - Extreme Drought
    • Rice crop is expensive to maintain; soybean yields are reduced; rye growth is stunted
    • Saltwater intrudes into rivers; rivers are too salty for irrigation
    • Trees are drought stressed; crawfish population is low
    0
    of LA
    D4 - Exceptional Drought
    • Pasture and crop loss is widespread
    • Mosquito numbers decrease
    • Fishing is compromised
    0
    of LA
    D0 - Abnormally Dry
    • Grass fires increase
    20.8
    of LA
    D1 - Moderate Drought
    • Farmers plant fewer crops
    • Fire risk increases
    0.0
    of LA
    D2 - Severe Drought
    • Grass is not growing; ground is cracking; grazing forage is lost
    • Trees are stressed
    • Creeks and bayou water levels are low
    0
    of LA
    D3 - Extreme Drought
    • Rice crop is expensive to maintain; soybean yields are reduced; rye growth is stunted
    • Saltwater intrudes into rivers; rivers are too salty for irrigation
    • Trees are drought stressed; crawfish population is low
    0
    of LA
    D4 - Exceptional Drought
    • Pasture and crop loss is widespread
    • Mosquito numbers decrease
    • Fishing is compromised
    0
    of LA
    Source(s):

    NDMC, NOAA, USDA
    Source(s):

    NDMC, NOAA, USDA
    Source(s):

    NDMC, NOAA, USDA
    Updates Weekly  -  01/12/21
    Updates Weekly  -  01/05/21
    Updates Weekly  -  12/15/20
    Learn more about these data
    Download screenshot of this panel

    Drought in Louisiana from 2000–Present

    The U.S. Drought Monitor started in 2000. Since 2000, the longest duration of drought (D1-D4) in Louisiana lasted 107 weeks beginning on April 20, 2010, and ending on May 1, 2012. The most intense period of drought occurred the week of June 21, 2011, where D4 affected 64.94% of Louisiana 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.

    Events
    Documents

    Web Resources for Louisiana

    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
    Explore More Locations
    Get local conditions
    Get Conditions
    Or jump to: