Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Drought facts from 131 years of county data

Every fact here is computed from NOAA's monthly county Palmer Drought Severity Index since 1895, for the lower 48.

  1. 01

    July 1934 is the worst month on record, with 52.2% of counties in severe drought. The worst months

  2. 02

    1954 is the worst year, averaging 38.0% of counties. 1954

  3. 03

    1983 is the mildest, at 0.2%. 1983

  4. 04

    Nuckolls County, NE, spent 96 straight months in severe drought, from June 1933 to May 1941. Nuckolls County

  5. 05

    Carbon County, MT, has spent 347 months in severe drought since 1895, more than any other county. Carbon County

  6. 06

    The lowest reading in any county is -10.05, in Goshen County, WY, in July 2026. Goshen County

  7. 07

    39 states have had a month with every county in severe drought. Every state's worst

  8. 08

    In September 2026, 1,000 of 3,107 counties were in severe drought. Drought hub

By year

Share of counties in severe drought, percent

Share of counties in severe drought, percent 1895: 4.7 % 1896: 6.9 % 1897: 6.0 % 1898: 6.7 % 1899: 5.4 % 1900: 8.0 % 1901: 13.7 % 1902: 15.2 % 1903: 1.2 % 1904: 8.5 % 1905: 4.6 % 1906: 0.6 % 1907: 1.5 % 1908: 3.7 % 1909: 5.8 % 1910: 14.6 % 1911: 19.0 % 1912: 1.5 % 1913: 4.0 % 1914: 12.2 % 1915: 4.7 % 1916: 1.5 % 1917: 7.6 % 1918: 15.3 % 1919: 2.5 % 1920: 1.3 % 1921: 4.9 % 1922: 4.4 % 1923: 4.0 % 1924: 5.9 % 1925: 19.2 % 1926: 7.7 % 1927: 5.0 % 1928: 2.0 % 1929: 2.7 % 1930: 17.1 % 1931: 32.5 % 1932: 7.6 % 1933: 9.0 % 1934: 37.1 % 1935: 15.2 % 1936: 20.5 % 1937: 12.6 % 1938: 6.8 % 1939: 14.1 % 1940: 18.9 % 1941: 16.6 % 1942: 6.9 % 1943: 4.8 % 1944: 7.4 % 1945: 2.9 % 1946: 1.6 % 1947: 1.8 % 1948: 3.5 % 1949: 3.0 % 1950: 3.2 % 1951: 6.1 % 1952: 10.2 % 1953: 17.8 % 1954: 38.0 % 38.0 1955: 23.6 % 1956: 28.1 % 1957: 9.1 % 1958: 1.5 % 1959: 4.3 % 1960: 3.1 % 1961: 5.1 % 1962: 2.4 % 1963: 17.4 % 1964: 21.0 % 1965: 9.7 % 1966: 9.6 % 1967: 5.7 % 1968: 2.2 % 1969: 0.8 % 1970: 0.9 % 1971: 3.3 % 1972: 1.6 % 1973: 1.0 % 1974: 1.9 % 1975: 0.5 % 1976: 6.8 % 1977: 15.0 % 1978: 2.0 % 1979: 0.3 % 1980: 5.3 % 1981: 14.5 % 1982: 0.6 % 1983: 0.2 % 1984: 1.4 % 1985: 3.4 % 1986: 7.9 % 1987: 5.5 % 1988: 20.2 % 1989: 14.7 % 1990: 9.3 % 1991: 7.7 % 1992: 5.3 % 1993: 1.1 % 1994: 1.8 % 1995: 1.6 % 1996: 3.1 % 1997: 0.9 % 1998: 4.5 % 1999: 11.1 % 2000: 20.7 % 2001: 9.6 % 2002: 17.6 % 2003: 8.0 % 2004: 3.8 % 2005: 3.7 % 2006: 16.0 % 2007: 16.9 % 2008: 11.8 % 2009: 4.4 % 2010: 2.7 % 2011: 17.6 % 2012: 26.1 % 2013: 11.7 % 2014: 5.1 % 2015: 4.1 % 2016: 5.1 % 2017: 4.5 % 2018: 6.2 % 2019: 1.6 % 2020: 4.8 % 2021: 11.2 % 2022: 14.8 % 2023: 10.3 % 2024: 7.6 % 2025: 11.9 % 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
The worst drought months
July 193452.21,621
September 195451.51,599
August 193449.81,546
November 195445.71,420
April 202645.31,407
August 193645.21,404
August 195443.71,359
October 195443.71,358
June 193443.71,357
December 195443.51,350
July 195442.31,313
February 193141.51,291