Latest News About Drought Monitor

Updated 2026-05-27 18:01

I don’t have live tool access in this turn, but I can share current-outlook context on drought monitoring and point you to reliable sources for the latest updates.

Direct answer

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is updated weekly, typically on Thursdays, with classifications from D0 (abnormally dry) through D4 (exceptional drought). The map and accompanying narrative help track drought progression and help inform decisions for agriculture, water management, and emergency planning.[2][6]

Key sources for latest information

U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) main page: provides the current map, weekly updates, and regional details.[6]
Current map page: direct access to the latest USDM map and its legend, including how drought categories are defined.[7]
Drought.gov (NOAA/NIDIS): hub for real-time drought data, forecasts, and planning tools; also highlights national and regional outlooks.[5][9]
NOAA CPC drought information and outlooks: official forecast products for short- and medium-term drought conditions.[3]
National Weather Service drought information for regional monitoring and local impacts (examples pages exist for various offices).[4][8]

What you can do right now

Visit the USDM current map to see the latest weekly drought status for your area. If you’re in Buffalo, NY, you can check the regional product and any recent changes in D0–D4 classifications near western New York.[6][7]
Check Drought.gov for real-time data and short- to medium-term forecasts to understand upcoming drought risk in your area and plan accordingly.[9][5]
Review CPC drought outlooks to see projected drought evolution over the coming weeks/months and how it might affect agriculture and water resources.[3]

If you’d like, I can summarize the latest regional status for Buffalo, NY, by pulling from the current map and recent outlooks and present it in a concise briefing. I can also generate a quick comparison table of current classifications (D0–D4) for nearby counties or watersheds.

Sources

Drought Monitoring - National Weather Service

The National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Wilmington, NC provides official weather forecasts, warnings, observations, past weather, and general weather information for Southeast North Carolina and Northeast South Carolina.

www.weather.gov

News

These new enhancements to the U.S. Drought Monitor are supported by the Drought Risk Management Research Center, a partnership between the drought center and the National Integrated Drought Information System. The new products enable 121 WFOs and 12 RFCs covered by the U.S. Drought Monitor to show people exactly how drought affects their area. Accompanying statistics and time series graphs, available for some time now, help round out the picture. … The National Drought Mitigation Center at the...

drought.unl.edu

U.S. Drought Monitor - USDA Climate Hubs

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4). It is produced jointly by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),...

www.climatehubs.usda.gov

The U.S. Drought Portal | Drought.gov

Stay informed with real-time drought data, forecasts, and planning tools at Drought.gov - your resource for understanding and preparing for droughts nationwide.

www.drought.gov

Drought Information - National Weather Service

Drought, Eastern North Carolina

www.weather.gov

United States Drought Information - Climate Prediction Center - NOAA

Since the valid periods for the drought outlooks overlap, forecast categorical inconsistencies may result between the two products, which can lead to conflicting messaging and cause confusion. In order to address this issue, the CPC will adjust the SDO at the end of each month immediately following the release of the MDO. This adjustment has the goal of eliminating inconsistencies between the drought outlooks to provide consistent outlook maps and a consistent message to end users.

www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov

Outlooks & Forecasts - Drought.gov

Over the next five days (May 19–23, 2026), the United States can expect a highly dynamic weather pattern characterized by contrasting temperature extremes and widespread storm activity. An early-season heat wave will make headlines across much of the Eastern U.S. through mid-week, with interior portions of the Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas seeing highs climb into the lower to middle 90s—warm enough to potentially establish new daily records before a cold front brings cooler relief by...