Mississippi River Basin Drought &amp; Water Dashboard

Metadata

National Weather Service National Water Prediction Service

National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) river stage observations are available as shapefiles from the National Weather Service.

The majority of the observed water level data displayed on the NWPS web pages originates from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Streamflow Information Program, which maintains a national network of streamgages. Real-time water level information is also collected from other federal, state, and local streamgage networks.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

River stage observations from the National Water Prediction Service are updated daily.

Updates Daily

Last Update

09/10/25

Source(s)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Update Schedule

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers updates these comparative hydrographs daily.

USGS 1-Day Average Streamflow

Data Valid

Last Update

10/20/26

USGS Water Data APIs

USGS Water Data for the Nation

Realtime streamflow data were available from the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Data API. Both 1-day and historical streamflow values are calculated as mean discharge (ft³/s) over a 24-hour period. The 1-day daily values are computed by averaging the multiple instantaneous flow rate values over that 24-hour period. Historical percentiles are computed using the daily averaged values for a given date over all years of the period of record. Only streamgages with 30 or more years of data are included in this map.

Source(s)

U.S. Geological Survey

Update Schedule

This map updates daily on Drought.gov, showing mean daily streamflow values from the previous day. View the most recent real-time streamflow data from USGS.

Future River Conditions for the Greater Mississippi River Basin

Within NOAA's National Weather Service, River Forecast Centers produce the official river forecasts based on current land surface and river conditions and incorporate 24–48-hour forecast precipitation. The river stages are generally forecast out for 5 days and up to 28 days on the mainstem of the Mississippi River. A given water level might be “normal” at one location but exceptionally low at another, and forecast river levels are categorized into “stages” to provide context. Learn more about river forecasts.

Maps

AHPS River Stage Forecast: Maximum Flood Category

Last Update

10/21/26

Metadata

National Weather Service National Water Prediction Service

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) river forecast data are available in a GIS format from the National Weather Service.

The majority of the observed water level data displayed on the AHPS web pages originates from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Streamflow Information Program, which maintains a national network of streamgages. Real-time water level information is also collected from other federal, state, and local streamgage networks.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

River gauge forecasts from the National Weather Service are updated daily.

Current Drought & Climate Conditions for the Greater Mississippi River Basin

Drought’s impacts extend far beyond low water levels, such as increased wildfire risk and lower soil moisture, as well as widespread agricultural impacts, including reduced crop production and dried out pastures for livestock. Monitoring drought involves observing changes in precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, streamflow, surface and groundwater supplies, snowpack, and other indicators of drought. Learn more about monitoring and predicting drought.

Maps

U.S. Drought Monitor

Data Valid

Last Update

10/13/26

USDM Website

U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format. The USDM is jointly produced by NDMC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The map is updated weekly on Thursday mornings, with data valid through Tuesday of that week.

Source(s)

NDMC, NOAA, USDA, NASA

Update Schedule

This map is released every Thursday morning, with data valid through Tuesday at 7am Eastern.

U.S. Drought Monitor 4-Week Change Map

Data Valid

Last Update

10/13/26

USDM Change Maps

NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information

U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) 4-Week Change Map data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a raster format.

The USDM is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The map and accompanying change maps are updated weekly on Thursday mornings, with data valid through Tuesday of that week.

Source(s)

NDMC, NOAA, USDA, NASA

Update Schedule

U.S. Drought Monitor change maps are released every Thursday morning, with data valid through Tuesday at 7 a.m. EST.

3-Month Standardized Precipitation Index from nClimGrid-Daily

Data Valid

Last Update

10/12/26

About These Data

SPI data from the NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information's nClimGrid-Daily dataset were ingested via Climate Engine.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

SPI data are updated daily, with a delay of 3–4 days.

Evaporative Demand Drought Index: 4 Week

Data Valid

Last Update

10/11/26

EDDI Landing Page

Download Data (FTP)

EDDI Web Map Service

EDDI data from NOAA'sNational Weather Service Climate Prediction Center were available in netCDF format. EDDI data are updated daily with a 5-day lag.

EDDI is calculated from observations of the atmosphere near the land surface: temperature, humidity, windspeed, and solar radiation. EDDI doesn’t directly measure on-the-ground conditions—though EDDI values are strongly influenced by surface moisture conditions.

EDDI uses a classification scheme that is equivalent to the U.S. Drought Monitor percentile categories (D0, D1, D2, etc.).

Source(s)

NOAA Climate Prediction Center

Update Schedule

The Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) is updated daily, with a 5-day delay. This delay results from the procedures to quality control the meteorological data used to estimate evaporative demand.

Map Cards

Precipitation Conditions: Last 7 Days (gridMET, NLDAS)

Data Valid

Last Update

10/17/26

The gridMET and NLDAS precipitation datasets from Climate Engine were available in raster format. Precipitation data update daily but are delayed from the current day by 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

Precipitation data are updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Precipitation 30-day % of Normal (gridMET, NLDAS)

Data Valid

Last Update

10/17/26

The GridMET and NLDAS precipitation datasets from Climate Engine were available in raster format. Precipitation data update daily but are delayed from the current day by 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

Precipitation data are updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Precipitation 60-day % of Normal (gridMET, NLDAS)

Data Valid

Last Update

10/17/26

Source(s)

Update Schedule

Precipitation data are updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Temperature: 7-Day Average Maximum (gridMET, PRISM)

Data Valid

Last Update

10/17/26

The GridMET and PRISM temperature datasets from Climate Engine were available in raster format. Temperature data are updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

Temperature data are updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Maximum Temperature: 7-Day Departure from Normal (gridMET, PRISM)

Data Valid

Last Update

10/17/26

Source(s)

Update Schedule

Temperature data are updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

Maximum Temperature: 30-Day Departure from Normal (gridMET, PRISM)

Data Valid

Last Update

10/17/26

Source(s)

Update Schedule

Temperature data are updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.

NASA SPoRT-LIS 0-100 cm Soil Moisture Percentile

Data Valid

Last Update

10/21/26

About These Data

NASA’s Short-term Prediction and Transition Center – Land Information System (SPoRT-LIS) provides high-resolution (about 3-km) gridded soil moisture products in real-time to support regional and local modeling and improve situational awareness. The 0–100 cm soil moisture percentile data has shown to be a utility for drought monitoring. The near-surface (0–10 cm) layer responds quickly to heavy precipitation and rapidly drying events. In deeper layers, soil moisture evolves more slowly and has demonstrated greater utility overall for drought monitoring purposes since drought evolves typically on timescales of weeks to years.

The 0–100 cm soil moisture percentiles use a 1981–2013 soil moisture climatology.

Soil moisture data from NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) were available in raster format.

Source(s)

NASA

Update Schedule

This map updates daily with data from NASA's Short-term Prediction and Transition Center – Land Information System (SPoRT-LIS).

Crop-CASMA: Sub-9km Soil Moisture Anomaly

Data Valid

Last Update

10/22/26

National Weather Service, U.S. Drought Monitor

Soil moisture data from Crop-CASMA were available in GeoTIFF format. GIS software used the GeoTIFF format to create the map tiles used on Drought.gov.

Source(s)

NASA, USDA, George Mason University

Update Schedule

Data are updated daily, with a 3-day delay.

National Weather Service Drought Information Statements

Updates Daily

Last Update

10/21/26

All Active Statements

About the Data

Drought information statements were ingested from the various National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices (WFO). WFOs with statements published within the past 35 days are joined with spatial data for visualization purposes.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

Weather Forecast Offices issue drought information statements as needed based on local conditions. This map is updated daily.

Coastal Salinity Index (CSI)

Updates Daily

Last Update

10/20/26

Data Files

The U.S. Geological Survey offers coastal salinity data in text formats (e.g., CSV and JSON). Data are ingested and joined to a station point layer to provide a visualization of the data.

Source(s)

U.S. Geological Survey

Update Schedule

Coastal Salinity Index data are updated daily.

Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI)

Updates Weekly

Last Update

10/18/26

VegDRI Website

The Vegetation Drought Response Index is produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center, the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science, and the High Plains Regional Climate Center. Data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in raster format.

Source(s)

NDMC, USGS, HPRCC

Update Schedule

VegDRI data are updated weekly.

Future Drought & Climate Conditions for the Greater Mississippi River Basin

Predicting drought can pose unique challenges. Global weather patterns, which affect the location and intensity of precipitation, are constantly changing and are difficult to predict on longer timescales. Below, explore official forecasts from NOAA’s National Weather Service, and learn more about predicting drought.

Map Cards

Quantitative Precipitation Forecast: Day 1

Last Update

10/20/26

National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center

Produced by the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center, this Quantitative Precipitation Forecast shows the amount of liquid precipitation expected to fall over the next 24 hours. (In the case of snow or ice, the forecast represents the amount of liquid that will be measured when the precipitation is melted.) Precipitation amounts can vary significantly over short distances, especially when thunderstorms occur, so the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast is defined as the expected "areal average" (on a 20 x 20 km grid) in inches.

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. Eastern) that day.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Quantitative Precipitation Forecast maps on Drought.gov are updated once a day and are valid from 7 a.m. Eastern that day.

Quantitative Precipitation Forecast: Day 1–7

Last Update

10/20/26

National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center

Produced by the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center, this Quantitative Precipitation Forecast shows the amount of liquid precipitation expected to fall over the next 7 days. (In the case of snow or ice, the forecast represents the amount of liquid that will be measured when the precipitation is melted.) Precipitation amounts can vary significantly over short distances, especially when thunderstorms occur, so the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast is defined as the expected "areal average" (on a 20 x 20 km grid) in inches. Learn more.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Quantitative Precipitation Forecast maps on Drought.gov are updated once a day and are valid from 7 a.m. Eastern that day.

CPC 6–10 Day Precipitation Outlook

Last Update

10/21/26

Temperature and precipitation data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format. The 6–10 day outlook is updated daily.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their 6–10 day precipitation outlook daily.

CPC 8–14 Day Precipitation Outlook

Last Update

10/21/26

Temperature and precipitation data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format. The 8–14 day outlook is updated daily.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their 8–14 day outlooks daily.

CPC 1-Month Precipitation Outlook

Last Update

10/15/26

Precipitation data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format. The Climate Prediction Center updates their monthly precipitation outlook on the third Thursday of each calendar month.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their monthly precipitation outlook on the third Thursday of each calendar month and again on the last day of each calendar month.

CPC Seasonal Precipitation Outlook

Last Update

10/15/26

Precipitation data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format. The seasonal precipitation outlook is updated on the third Thursday of each calendar month.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their seasonal precipitation outlook on the third Thursday of each calendar month.

CPC 6–10 Day Temperature Outlook

Last Update

10/21/26

Temperature outlook data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their 6–10 day outlooks daily.

CPC 8–14 Day Temperature Outlook

Last Update

09/01/26

Temperature and precipitation data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their 8–14 day outlooks daily.

CPC 1-Month Temperature Outlook

Last Update

10/15/26

Temperature outlook data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their monthly temperature outlook on the third Thursday of each calendar month and again on the last day of each calendar month.

CPC Seasonal Temperature Outlook

Last Update

10/15/26

Temperature outlook data from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center were available in a GIS format.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center updates their seasonal temperature outlook on the third Thursday of each calendar month.

CPC U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook

Last Update

09/30/26

Drought outlooks from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) were available in a GIS format. For more details about the current Monthly Drought Outlook map, read the latest monthly assessment from CPC.

Source(s)

Update Schedule

The Climate Prediction Center issues its Monthly Drought Outlooks on the last day of the calendar month.

CPC U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook

Last Update

10/15/26

Drought outlooks from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) were available in a GIS format. For more details about the current Seasonal Drought Outlook map, read the latest seasonal assessment from CPC.

Source(s)