U.S. Drought Monitor

Drought conditions made a push north across much of the western U.S. during the past 30 days, due to unusually dry and warm conditions. Almost 68 percent of the 11 western states (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) are experiencing moderate drought or a more severe category, according to the July 17 update of the U.S. Drought Monitor (Figure 3). This is an increase of about 8 percent reported in mid-June. Nearly 16 percent of the contiguous western U.S. is classified with extreme drought, with largest of those areas located in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. In the last month, Colorado experienced the most change in drought conditions. Currently, about 70 percent of the state is labeled with extreme drought, an increase from about 26 percent one month ago. Also, moderate drought expanded across southern Oregon, while moderate to severe drought pushed far north from northern Colorado into central Montana.