U.S. Drought Monitor

U.S. Drought Monitor
Name	U.S. Drought Monitor
Caption	National drought assessment product
Type	Interagency partnership
Founded	1999
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	Lead authors
Parent organization	National Drought Mitigation Center, United States Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Drought Monitor The U.S. Drought Monitor provides weekly national drought assessments combining climatological, hydrological, and agricultural indicators to inform decision makers across federal, state, and local levels. Produced through a partnership involving the National Drought Mitigation Center, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it integrates observational networks, remote sensing, and expert consensus to characterize drought severity and extent. Policymakers, water managers, agricultural stakeholders, and emergency planners use the Monitor to support programs administered by entities such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Farm Service Agency.

Overview

The Monitor is a collaborative weekly map product that classifies drought into categories used by agencies like the United States Department of Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for program eligibility and response. Analysts synthesize inputs from the National Weather Service forecast offices, the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow network, the Natural Resources Conservation Service soil moisture reports, and remote-sensing datasets from platforms such as MODIS, Landsat, and GOES. The map informs stakeholders including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and state departments of agriculture and water resources. International organizations, including the World Meteorological Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, reference the Monitor when comparing subnational drought impacts.

Methodology

The methodology combines quantitative indices and qualitative expert input. Core indices include outputs from the Palmer Drought Severity Index, the Standardized Precipitation Index, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, hydrological indicators from the U.S. Geological Survey streamgages, and soil moisture analyses informed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operational models. Remote-sensing products and vegetation health metrics from MODIS and Landsat supplement station data. Weekly authors convene with contributors from the National Weather Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Drought Mitigation Center, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and regional climate centers such as the High Plains Regional Climate Center and the Southeast Regional Climate Center to reconcile model outputs and stakeholder reports. The classification scheme aligns with thresholds used by programs administered by the Farm Service Agency and water allocation protocols used by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Products and Maps

Primary outputs include a national weekly map and archive products showing categorical drought levels used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and agricultural assistance programs. Complementary datasets include percentile maps based on the Standardized Precipitation Index and time-series charts derived from U.S. Geological Survey streamflow records. Interactive map services are hosted alongside climatological summaries provided to the National Integrated Drought Information System and regional planning bodies like the Western Governors' Association. The Monitor’s products support satellite-based analyses using data from GOES-R, Sentinel-2, and the Suomi NPP satellite, and feed into indices used by the National Interagency Fire Center for fire-weather planning and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for ecosystem management.

Impacts and Uses

Decision makers in agriculture, water resources, and emergency management rely on the Monitor to trigger programs at the Farm Service Agency, to guide reservoir operations coordinated with the Bureau of Reclamation, and to inform drought contingency plans used by municipal utilities and irrigation districts. International agencies such as the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization use Monitor outputs for comparative assessments. The map influences commodity market analyses conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and risk assessments by insurers including the National Flood Insurance Program where hydrologic conditions intersect with flood risk. Conservation organizations like The Nature Conservancy and agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service use the Monitor to prioritize habitat protection and species recovery actions.

History and Development

The Monitor originated from collaborations among the National Drought Mitigation Center at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a consistent national drought depiction. Early influences included the development of the Palmer Drought Severity Index and national hydrologic monitoring by the U.S. Geological Survey. Over time, integration of satellite platforms such as Landsat and MODIS and the emergence of indices like the Standardized Precipitation Index and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index expanded capabilities. The product has evolved alongside federal initiatives including the formation of the National Integrated Drought Information System and interagency coordination involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency and regional climate centers.

Criticism and Limitations

Critiques address the subjectivity of expert-based delineation and the imperfect representation of local impacts; stakeholders such as state water managers, county extension services affiliated with Cooperative Extension, and indigenous tribal authorities have noted mismatches between map categories and on-the-ground conditions. Limitations stem from sparse observational networks in parts of the western United States and Alaska, the temporal resolution of satellite products like Landsat relative to rapid agricultural changes, and challenges in integrating disparate indices such as the Palmer Drought Severity Index and the Standardized Precipitation Index. Researchers at institutions like Cornell University, Colorado State University, and Iowa State University have published evaluations recommending improved ground truthing, expanded soil-moisture networks, and enhanced incorporation of socioeconomic data used by agencies including the United States Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Category:Climate monitoring