Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch

Monitor

Jump to:

What is my Current Drought Situation?
- Use to open tabs, choose from dropdown boxes, and learn more.
- Use to view map layers.
How Does this Year Compare to Last Year?
- Compare the current U.S. Drought Monitor with the map one-year ago. Use drop-downs to explore other time-frames.
What can I expect for forage production this year? Grass-Cast & State-Specific Forage Calculators
- Learn more about Grass-Cast and explore state-specific forage calculators.
Could I still get enough precipitation to change forage production expectations?
- See key precipitation months for your area and explore likelihood of receiving enough precipitation to change forage production expectations in the coming months.
What are my options for drought management?
- Explore drought management strategies recommended by grazing experts and resources available in your state (Great Plains).

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Part 1

What is my Current Drought Situation?

Week:

Current drought conditions

U.S. Drought Monitor

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought. Learn more at https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

None
D0 (Abnormally Dry)
D1 (Moderate Drought)
D2 (Severe Drought)
D3 (Extreme Drought)
D4 (Exceptional Drought)

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Precipitation Compared to Normal

The National Weather Service provides short-term observed precipitation and climate trends. Learn more at https://water.weather.gov/precip/about.php.

Over 10 in.
8.0 - 10 in.
6.0 - 8.0 in.
5.0 - 6.0 in.
4.0 - 5.0 in.y
3.0 - 4.0 in.
2.5 - 3.0 in.
2.0 - 2.5 in.
1.5 - 2.0 in.
1.0 - 1.5 in.
0.75 - 1.0 in.
0.50 - 0.75 in.
0.25 - 0.50 in.
0.10 - 0.25 in.
0.01 - 0.10 in.
Missing Data

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Outlooks

Drought Outlook

Drought Persists
Drought Remains but Improves
Drought Removal Likely
Drought Development Likely

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Precipitation Outlook

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues maps showing the probability of exceeding thresholds of above and below normal conditions for temperature and precipitation. Learn more at https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/forecasts/month_to_season_outlooks.php.

Greater than 90% Chance Abv Norm
80%-90% Chance Abv Norm
70%-80% Chance Abv Norm
60%-70% Chance Abv Norm
50%-60% Chance Abv Norm
40%-50% Chance Abv Norm
33%-40% Chance Abv Norm
Near Normal Precip
33%-40% Chance Blw Norm
40%-50% Chance Blw Norm
50%-60% Chance Blw Norm
60%-70% Chance Blw Norm
70%-80% Chance Blw Norm
80%-90% Chance Blw Norm
Greater Than 90% Chance Blw Norm

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Temperature Outlook

Greater than 90% Chance Abv Norm
80%-90% Chance Abv Norm
70%-80% Chance Abv Norm
60%-70% Chance Abv Norm
50%-60% Chance Abv Norm
40%-50% Chance Abv Norm
33%-40% Chance Abv Norm
Near Normal Precip
33%-40% Chance Blw Norm
40%-50% Chance Blw Norm
50%-60% Chance Blw Norm
60%-70% Chance Blw Norm
70%-80% Chance Blw Norm
80%-90% Chance Blw Norm
Greater Than 90% Chance Blw Norm

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Forage Production & Drought Stress — layers load slowly

Grassland Productivity Forecast (Grass-Cast) Info

Grass-Cast provides estimates of how much forage will be available for livestock to graze during the upcoming summer. Learn more at https://grasscast.unl.edu/.

< -30%
-30% to -15%
-15% to -5%
-5% to +5%
+5% to +15%
+15% to +30%
> +30%
No Data

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Vegetation Drought Stress (VegDRI)

The Vegetation Drought Response Index, or VegDRI, is a weekly depiction of vegetation stress across the contiguous United States. Learn more at https://vegdri.unl.edu/.

Extreme Drought
Severe Drought
Moderate Drought
Pre-drought stress
Near Normal
Unusually Moist
Very Moist
Extremely Moist
Out of Season
Water
Other Landcover

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Impacts & Reports

CoCoRaHS Reports

CoCoRaHS is a community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). Learn more at https://cocorahs.org.

Showing reports for the last 30 days.

Severely Dry
Moderately Dry
Mildly Dry
Near Normal
Mildly Wet
Moderately Wet
Severely Wet

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Condition Monitoring Reports

The National Drought Mitigation Center collects and reports drought-related conditions and impacts within the U.S. Learn more and submit a report at https://droughtimpacts.unl.edu/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx.

Showing reports for the last 30 days.

Severely Dry
Moderately Dry
Mildly Dry
Near Normal
Mildly Wet
Moderately Wet
Severely Wet

Transparency

Base Layers

States

State boundaries

Counties

County boundaries

RMA Regions

RMA Region boundaries

Tribal Lands

Tribal Lands

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Federal Lands

Federal Lands

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USDA Climate Hubs

Climate Hub boundaries

Other Resources

Drought/Forage Monitoring Tools Library

Maps and Data on U.S. Commodities in Drought

Part 2

How Does this Year Compare to Last Year?

State

Drought Classification

None
D0 (Abnormally Dry)

D1 (Moderate Drought)
D2 (Severe Drought)

D3 (Extreme Drought)
D4 (Exceptional Drought)

Use dropdown to select state. The default view is the current U.S. Drought Monitor map (left) and map from one-year ago (right). Use the dropdown boxes to compare other time periods.

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Part 3

What can I expect for forage production this year?

Grass-Cast provides forage production projections based on three future precipitation scenarios (above-, near-, below-normal). Click on the images below to visit full Grass-Cast site where you can zoom into your local area of interest for more details.

Grass-Cast Great Plains

Grass-Cast Southwest

Other Resources

Drought/Forage Monitoring Tools Library

Part 4

What’s the likelihood of getting enough precipitation to change forage production expectations?

Click on your location to see the precipitation months that best predict annual forage production. You can also view the months your area is most likely to receive precipitation, and the timing of forage growth, in the charts.

If you experience significant drought during these critical months, later precipitation may not help you catch up on forage production for the current year. If you suspect you may not produce enough forage to meet your herd's needs this year, it's time to take action.

Part 5

What are my options for drought management?

Find resources and suggestions for adjusting forage supply and demand strategies during drought.

Developed in collaboration with USDA Climate Hubs and Extension partners, with funding by the USDA.