Local Page: Data & Maps
Below are all data sources used on the local (city-level) location pages. 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.
Precipitation and Temperature Conditions
Total Precipitation, Last 30 Days
Source: NOAA Regional Climate Centers (RCC) Applied Climate Information System (ACIS)
Local precipitation information was obtained using services from ACIS.
Data for Alaska are displayed for the nearest available station. Missing data are indicated with a dotted gray line. These lines do not represent an estimate of conditions during the period where data are unavailable, only the absence of data for a given day.
Maximum Temperature, Last 30 Days
Source: NOAA Regional Climate Centers (RCC) Applied Climate Information System (ACIS)
Local temperature information was obtained using services from ACIS.
Data for Alaska are displayed for the nearest available station. Missing data are indicated with a dotted gray line. These lines do not represent an estimate of conditions during the period where data are unavailable, only the absence of data for a given day.
Drought Indicators (Climate Toolbox Water Watcher)
U.S. Drought Monitor
Source: National Drought Mitigation Center
Local U.S. Drought Monitor information was obtained using the National Drought Mitigation Center's U.S. Drought Monitor ArcGIS REST Service.
Precipitation (60-Day)
Source: University of Idaho - Climate Toolbox Water Watcher
Local 60-day precipitation information was obtained using the Climate Toolbox Water Watcher THREDDS server.
Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)
Source: University of Idaho - Climate Toolbox Water Watcher
Local Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) information was obtained using the Climate Toolbox Water Watcher THREDDS server.
Streamflow (Closest Ranked Gauge)
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Streamflow data were available in a GIS format from USGS WaterWatch. Local streamflow information is obtained by locating the nearest streamflow gauge to the point of interest.
Drought Indicator Blends
Experimental Short-Term Drought Indicator Blend
Sources: UC Merced, Climate Engine
Drought blends data from Climate Engine were available in raster format.
These experimental blends integrate several key drought monitoring products and indices into a single short-term or long-term product, based on the methodology developed at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The blends are created using the Climate Engine tool, and apply the CPC weighting ratios to the high-resolution gridMET gridded research dataset. The data is updated daily, with a delay of 3 to 4 days to allow for data collection and quality control.
The short-term blend combines PDSI, Z-Index, 1-month SPI, and 3-month SPI to estimate the overall short-term drought.
This product is an example of current NIDIS-funded research. Learn more.
* Currently, data are only available for the contiguous U.S.
Experimental Long-Term Drought Indicator Blend
Sources: UC Merced, Climate Engine
Drought blends data from Climate Engine were available in raster format.
These experimental blends integrate several key drought monitoring products and indices into a single short-term or long-term product, based on the methodology developed at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The blends are created using the Climate Engine tool, and apply the CPC weighting ratios to the high-resolution gridMET gridded research dataset. The data is updated daily, with a delay of 2 to 3 days to allow for data collection and quality control.
The long-term blend combines PDSI, Z-Index, and 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year SPI to estimate the overall long-term drought.
This product is an example of current NIDIS-funded research. Learn more.
* Currently, data are only available for the contiguous U.S.
Future Conditions
Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) Subseasonal Forecasts
Source: UC Merced
Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) experimental subseasonal forecast data were available from the University of Idaho's THREDDS server in raster format.
* Currently, data are only available for the contiguous U.S.
CPC Monthly and Seasonal Drought Outlooks
Source: Climate Prediction Center
Monthly and Seasonal Drought Outlooks from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) were available in a GIS format.
Historical Conditions
U.S. Drought Monitor (2000 - Present)
Standardized Precipitation Index (1895 - Present)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) data was 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 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.
Statistics: Drought Numbers by County
Population in Drought
Sources: U.S. Drought Monitor
Data was ingested by the U.S. Drought Monitor web API and stored in a database on the web server.
Drought Rankings
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
County rank data were ingested from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and joined with spatial data for mapping purposes.