After a warm, dry October, drought reached a nationwide record this year. Ohio and West Virginia saw their most area in Extreme and Exceptional Drought (D3-D4) since the U.S. Drought Monitor began in 2000. Far West Texas, southern New Mexico, and the Northern Rockies remained in persistent drought throughout the year. Meanwhile, areas of the West in long-term drought, including parts of the Southwest, saw some improvement in spring. 

Higher temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change made an ordinary drought into an exceptional drought that parched the American West from 2020-2022, according to a new study by scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.  

New interactive maps on drought.gov can help users better prepare for heat and drought in their community, with data from NOAA’s National Weather Service. Drought.gov now displays customizable maps showing National Weather Service heat advisories, warnings, and watches, as well as 3–7 and 8–14 day heat hazard outlooks. These maps can be overlaid with the U.S. Drought Monitor to monitor areas where extreme heat may worsen existing drought conditions. 

The Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) is a resource to understand how drought will change as the climate changes, how we can adapt, and how future droughts might impact your region and livelihood. Check out these 10 maps and graphics to learn more about drought in a changing climate.