Year in Review: A Look Back at Drought across the United States in 2018
2018 Most Intense Drought
2018 Number of Weeks
in Drought
2018 Cumulative
Drought Intensity
Based on preliminary analysis within the National Climate Report - Annual 2018 , produced by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), 2018 ranks as the 14th warmest and 3rd wettest year on record (1895-2018). Even with above-average precipitation observed, much of the nation experienced persistent and severe drought conditions.

A new series of maps made for the report provide a snapshot of U.S. drought during 2018 from three slightly different perspectives: drought intensity, drought duration, and cumulative drought intensity and duration. Each map draws from the 52 weekly  U.S. Drought Monitor  assessments published during 2018.
FEATURED
News & Updates

Elizabeth Weight, CIRES/NIDIS Regional Drought Information Systems Coordinator, represented NIDIS in the May 2018 workshop “Advancing Sustainability of U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Drylands”.

The winners have been selected in the Sub-Seasonal Climate Forecast Rodeo where solvers provided temperature and precipitation forecasts at three to
four-week and five to six-week lead times. The three teams selected as winners will share $525,000 for their accomplishments. Learn more >

The Colorado and New Mexico portions of the Rio Grande Basin experienced exceptional drought over the past 18 months. Watch the webinar recording for a look ahead into water supply projections and forecasts for the spring and summer. Learn more >

Currently only small areas of snow drought are present in the western contiguous U.S. after a wet winter. Washington, northern Idaho, northwest Montana, and northern Wyoming are the only places that currently have widespread below normal snow water equivalent (SWE). Learn more >
UPCOMING
Events & Webinars
FEATURED MAP + DATA
U.S. Drought Monitor - California Map
California is drought free for the first time since December 2011, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor . This year's wet winter alleviated drought, including severe (D2) and extreme drought (D3) conditions that returned in spring of 2018. Based on the March 21st U.S. Drought Monitor, 6.58 percent of California remains abnormally dry (D0).
About NIDIS
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was authorized by Congress in 2006 (Public Law 109-430) with an interagency mandate to develop and provide a national drought early warning information system, by coordinating and integrating drought research, and building upon existing federal, tribal, state, and local partnerships.