Current Drought Activity
Drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall leading to water shortages. It can devastate agriculture, reduce water supplies, increase wildfire risk, and cause significant economic losses. The western and southern United States are particularly vulnerable to severe and prolonged drought conditions.
Showing active drought events worldwide
Open full-screen map →Notable Historical Events
Notable drought events that have impacted the United States, ranked by severity and population exposure.
Atlanta, GA
September 17, 2025
Drought - Mississippi Valley/Southern United States
Impact: 72,100,000 people exposed; $8,950,064M capital exposed
Miami, FL
April 30, 2025
Drought - Florida, United States
Impact: 4,530,000 people exposed; $682,597M capital exposed
Seoul, South Korea
March 23, 2025
Drought - South Korea
Impact: 43,500,000 people exposed; $4,858,944M capital exposed
Bogota, Colombia
September 30, 2024
Drought - South America
Impact: 43,390,343 people exposed; $804,062M capital exposed
Ankara, Turkey
July 25, 2024
Drought - Eastern Europe
Impact: 140,566,300 people exposed; $4,222,217M capital exposed
Accra, Ghana
July 10, 2024
Drought - Western Africa
Impact: 15,478,607 people exposed; $39,821M capital exposed
Baltimore, MD
June 30, 2024
Drought - Eastern United States
Impact: 16,600,000 people exposed; $3,775,573M capital exposed
Albuquerque, NM
April 10, 2024
Drought - Southwestern United States
Impact: 20,375,000 people exposed; $2,222,366M capital exposed
Johannesburg, South Africa
February 14, 2024
Drought - Southern Africa
Impact: 64,318,640 people exposed; $651,228M capital exposed
Jakarta, Indonesia
August 30, 2023
Drought - Bogor Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia
Impact: Impact data not available
Oklahoma City, OK
June 28, 2023
Drought - Central United States
Impact: 1,280,000 people exposed; $147,628M capital exposed
Honolulu, HI
June 14, 2023
Drought - Hawaii, United States of America
Impact: 46,900 people exposed; $7,079M capital exposed
Albuquerque, NM
April 16, 2023
Drought - Southern United States
Impact: 24,500,000 people exposed; $2,630,998M capital exposed
Seoul, South Korea
February 28, 2023
Drought - South Korea
Impact: Impact data not available
Dhaka, Bangladesh
September 5, 2022
Drought - China
Impact: Impact data not available
Portland, OR
June 29, 2022
Drought - Northwestern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Charlotte, NC
May 18, 2022
Drought - Southeast United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Raleigh, NC
April 6, 2022
Drought - North Carolina, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Milwaukee, WI
March 30, 2022
Drought - Southeastern Wisconsin, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Honolulu, HI
February 9, 2022
Drought - Hawaii, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Charlotte, NC
December 2, 2021
Drought - Southeastern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Arlington, TX
October 27, 2021
Drought - Southern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Nairobi, Kenya
September 14, 2021
Drought - Kenya
Impact: Impact data not available
Sao Paulo, Brazil
July 6, 2021
Drought - Central and Southern Brazil
Impact: Impact data not available
Nairobi, Kenya
December 23, 2020
Drought - Kenya
Impact: Impact data not available
Chicago, IL
July 21, 2020
Drought - Midwestern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Hanoi, Vietnam
February 25, 2020
Drought - Mekong River Basin
Impact: Impact data not available
Bangkok, Thailand
February 11, 2020
Drought - Thailand
Impact: Impact data not available
Bangkok, Thailand
January 10, 2020
Drought - Thailand
Impact: Impact data not available
Jacksonville, FL
December 25, 2019
Drought - Florida, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Portland, OR
December 25, 2019
Drought - Northwestern, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Kansas City, MO
November 6, 2019
Drought - Central United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Beijing, China
October 24, 2019
Drought - China
Impact: Impact data not available
Baltimore, MD
October 22, 2019
Drought - Northeastern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Chicago, IL
August 21, 2019
Drought - Northern High Plains and Midwestern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
San Jose, Costa Rica
July 25, 2019
Drought - Northern Costa Rica
Impact: Impact data not available
Honolulu, HI
July 23, 2019
Drought - Hawaii, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Jakarta, Indonesia
July 1, 2019
Drought - Bekasi, Indonesia
Impact: Impact data not available
Jakarta, Indonesia
June 23, 2019
Drought - Java, Indonesia
Impact: Impact data not available
Atlanta, GA
June 9, 2019
Drought - Southeastern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Portland, OR
June 9, 2019
Drought - Northwestern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Atlanta, GA
May 6, 2019
Drought - Southeastern, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Seattle, WA
March 19, 2019
Drought - Northwestern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Seoul, South Korea
March 10, 2019
Drought - Northern South Korea
Impact: Impact data not available
Nairobi, Kenya
December 3, 2018
Drought - Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya
Impact: Impact data not available
Guatemala City, Guatemala
December 2, 2018
Drought - Central Guatemala
Impact: Impact data not available
San Jose, Costa Rica
December 2, 2018
Drought - Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
Impact: Impact data not available
Johannesburg, South Africa
November 27, 2018
Drought - South Africa and Lesotho
Impact: Impact data not available
Guatemala City, Guatemala
July 31, 2018
Drought - Central Guatemala
Impact: Impact data not available
Kansas City, MO
July 23, 2018
Drought - Missouri, United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Cape Town, South Africa
February 13, 2018
Drought - Cape Town, South Africa
Impact: Impact data not available
Albuquerque, NM
January 24, 2018
Drought - Southwestern United States
Impact: Impact data not available
Cape Town, South Africa
May 22, 2017
Drought - Western Cape, South Africa
Impact: Impact data not available
Bogota, Colombia
January 5, 2016
Drought - Colombia
Impact: Impact data not available
Sao Paulo, Brazil
February 22, 2015
Drought - Eastern Brazil
Impact: Impact data not available
Bangkok, Thailand
February 5, 2015
Drought - Thailand
Impact: Impact data not available
Sao Paulo, Brazil
November 25, 2014
Drought - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Impact: Impact data not available
Guatemala City, Guatemala
October 8, 2014
Drought - Guatemala
Impact: Impact data not available
Suva, Fiji
October 5, 2014
Drought - Fiji
Impact: Impact data not available
San Jose, Costa Rica
February 23, 2013
Drought - Costa Rica
Impact: Impact data not available
Miami, FL
August 12, 2003
Wild Fire
Impact: Impact data not available
Cities with Highest Drought Risk
| Rank | City | Risk Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno, CA | 9 |
| 2 | Mexico City, Mexico | 9 |
| 3 | Istanbul, Turkey | 9 |
| 4 | Bogota, Colombia | 9 |
| 5 | Santiago, Chile | 9 |
| 6 | Beijing, China | 9 |
| 7 | Cairo, Egypt | 9 |
| 8 | Kathmandu, Nepal | 9 |
| 9 | Yangon, Myanmar | 9 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | 7 |
| 11 | San Jose, CA | 7 |
| 12 | El Paso, TX | 7 |
| 13 | Sacramento, CA | 7 |
| 14 | Mesa, AZ | 7 |
| 15 | Houston, TX | 5 |
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