Please note: Due to a system outage with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, certain maps and statistics on Drought.gov may be experiencing issues. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to resolve these issues quickly
ACT Drought & Water Dashboard: Data & Maps
Below are all data sources used throughout the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) River Basin Drought & Water Dashboard. Have questions about the data, maps, or statistics on Drought.gov? Email us at drought.portal@noaa.gov.
Looking for More Data?
The Drought.gov team reformats data from multiple partners into web- and GIS-ready formats, which we use throughout Drought.gov. These data, hosted on Google Cloud Storage, are free for all to download or reference directly from their web applications.
Drought and Precipitation Statistics
28-Day Average Streamflow
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Summary table information from the U.S. Geological Survey was ingested and parsed to provide 28-day average streamflow statistics at the watershed level. Data are updated weekly on Thursdays.
USDA Disaster Designations
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
A list of counties with disaster designations were ingested from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Counties within the ACT River Basin were parsed and summed to identify the total number of counties with this designation.
Monthly Precipitation Rankings
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
The monthly rank value was generated using nClimGrid precipitation data (1895–present). Monthly precipitation totals were compared to the historical mean to generate anomalies. These monthly anomalies were then ranked to identify how the current monthly value compares throughout the historical record. A rank of 1 would represent the driest month on record; the higher the rank value, the wetter the month.
Year-to-Date Precipitation Rankings
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
The calendar year-to-date (YTD) rank value was generated using nClimGrid precipitation data (1895–present). Monthly precipitation totals were aggregated for the YTD (January 1 through the most recent month) and then compared to the historical YTD mean to generate anomalies. These anomalies were then ranked to identify how the current calendar YTD value compares throughout the historical record. A rank of 1 would represent the driest YTD on record; the higher the rank value, the wetter the YTD.
Current Conditions for the ACT River Basin
U.S. Drought Monitor
Temperature: 15-Day Departure from Normal
Sources: UC Merced, Climate Engine
The 15-day departure from normal temperature map shows the difference of the last 15 days from the usual conditions for the same time period averaged from 1991–2020. This map uses the gridMET and PRISM temperature datasets, which are delayed from the current day by 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control. Temperature data from Climate Engine were available in raster format.
* Currently, data are only available for the contiguous U.S.
Precipitation: 15-Day Percent of Normal
Sources: UC Merced, Climate Engine
The 15-day percent of normal precipitation map shows the difference of the last 15 days from the usual conditions for the same time period averaged from 1991–2020. This map uses the gridMET and NLDAS precipitation datasets, which are delayed from the current day by 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control. Precipitation data from Climate Engine were available in raster format.
* Currently, data are only available for the contiguous U.S.
Streamflow and Reservoir Conditions for the ACT River Basin
Real-Time Streamflow
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Drought Monitor
Streamflow data were available in a GIS format from the U.S. Geological Survey's WaterWatch.
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format.
28-Day Average Streamflow
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Drought Monitor
Streamflow data were available in a GIS format from the U.S. Geological Survey's WaterWatch.
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format.
AHPS 5-Day River Forecast
Source: National Weather Service Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service (AHPS)
AHPS river forecast data are available in a GIS format from the National Weather Service.
USACE Lake Levels + Forecasts
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Current lake level information is ingested daily from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website. Lake level forecast data are ingested weekly via parsed PDF file. Current and forecasted lake data are joined to a shapefile for visualization.
Four projects within the ACF River Basin—Lake Seminole, West Point Lake, Walter F. George Reservoir, and Lake Sidney Lanier—as well as Allatoona and Carters in the adjacent ACT River Basin, are color coded based on USACE lake action zones. Current levels are also displayed for two additional projects in the ACT River Basin—R.F. Henry and William Dannelly—which do not have lake action zones or forecast information.
Alabama Power Company Lakes
Source: Alabama Power Company
Lake names and locations were obtained from the Alabama Power Company website.
Agricultural Conditions for the ACT River Basin
Crops and Livestock in Drought
Sources: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Drought Monitor
County-level commodities data were collected from USDA agricultural censuses. County figures for field crops represent the total acres harvested within that county. County figures for livestock represent the total inventory within that county.
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format.
Agricultural Statistics
Sources: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Drought Monitor
GIS was used to aggregate the number of acres of a crop or inventory of livestock present in a geographic region, according to 2017 data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. To calculate the acres of crops/inventory of livestock in drought, these values were multiplied by the percent area of the watershed region in moderate (D1) to exceptional (D4) drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
This calculation makes several assumptions, including that crops and livestock are evenly distributed throughout a county/watershed. Therefore, the crops and livestock in drought statistic is an estimation of crops and livestock in drought and not an exact value.
Soil Moisture Conditions for the ACT River Basin
Lawn and Garden Moisture Index
Source: Alabama Office of the State Climatologist
Lawn and Garden Moisture Index data are available in gridded text format from the Alabama Office of the State Climatologist. Data were ingested and joined to a spatial grid for visualization.
NASA SPoRT-LIS 0–100 cm Soil Moisture Percentile
Source: NASA
Soil moisture data from NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) were available in raster format.
RK 20 cm Soil Moisture Percentile
Source: NationalSoilMoisture.com
Soil moisture data from NationalSoilMoisture.com were available in ACSII format. The ASCII data was ingested and converted raster data using GIS.
Environmental Impacts for the ACT River Basin
Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI)
Source: North Carolina State Climate Office
Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) data were ingested from the North Carolina State Climate Office THREDDS data catalogue.
Coastal Salinity Index (CSI)
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Drought Monitor
The U.S. Geological Survey offers coastal salinity data in text formats (e.g., CSV and JSON). Data were ingested and joined to a station point layer to provide a visualization of the data.
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format.
AirNow Air Quality Index
Sources: AirNow, U.S. Drought Monitor
AirNow is a one-stop source for air quality data. AirNow reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), a color-coded index designed to communicate whether air quality is healthy or unhealthy.
The AQI is calculated for four major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health. Of these, ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health.
AirNow is a partnership of the EPA, NOAA, National Park Service, NASA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and tribal, state, and local air quality agencies.
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format.
Future Conditions for the ACT River Basin
CPC Monthly and Seasonal Drought Outlooks
Source: National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center
Monthly and Seasonal Drought Outlooks from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) were available in a GIS format.
1-Month Precipitation & Temperature Outlooks
Source: National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center
Temperature and precipitation outlooks from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) were available in a GIS format.
Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) Subseasonal Forecast
Source: UC Merced
Experimental Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) subseasonal forecast data were available from the University of Idaho's THREDDS server in raster format.
Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF): 1-Day and 7-Day
Source: National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center
Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) data were available in a GIS format from the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. The QPF maps on Drought.gov are updated daily and are valid from 12z (7 a.m. EST) that day.
Historical Conditions for the ACT River Basin
U.S. Drought Monitor (2000–Present)
Standardized Precipitation Index (1895–Present)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) data were generated using nClimGrid 5km precipitation data. Monthly gridded SPI data was fitted into the U.S. Drought Monitor drought percentile categories. Categories were accumulated to provide statistical information at the CONUS, state, and county scales.
* Currently, data are only available for the contiguous U.S.
Paleoclimate Data (0–2017)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Annual gridded paleoclimate Palmer Modified Drought Index (PMDI) data—from the Living Blended Drought Product—were fitted into the U.S. Drought Monitor drought percentile categories. Categories were accumulated to provide statistical information at the CONUS, state, and county scales.