As of Sept. 19, the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) classified more than 18% of the land in the western states as experiencing extreme or exceptional drought. Data reported by USDM shows that drought in the western states during the summers of 2021 and 2022 exceeded the intensity of all past droughts in the region since 2000.
Drought conditions in the western states gradually subsided in the latter months of 2021 but began intensifying again during the first half of 2022. The USDM categorizes drought in a region according to soil moisture, stream flow and precipitation levels. Regional designations are primarily based on historical weather patterns.
For agriculture, drought can mean diminished crop and livestock outputs, as well as reduced farm profitability. Drought also reduces the quantity of snowpack and stream flow available for diversions to irrigated agricultural land. These impacts can reverberate throughout the local, regional and national economies. — USDA Economic Research Service
