These overall conditions are evident in the following indicators:

• the Palmer Indices and Standardized Precipitation Index,

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• the runoff, evaporation, and soil moisture conditions as calculated by the National Weather Service,
• maps showing the percent of normal precipitation for May and spring (March-May), the departure from normal of the number of days with precipitation for May and spring, and the maximum number of consecutive days with no measurable precipitation for May and spring,

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• the percent of average precipitation map for the hydrologic year thus far (October 1, 2001 - May 31, 2002), and the percent of average basin snow water content map for the end of May, for the SNOTEL stations in the western mountains provided by the USDA Water and Climate Center,
• the statewide precipitation ranks for May (short-term) and March-May, December-May, and June-May (longer-term), and

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• the USGS May daily streamflow maps.

Two other drought-related monitoring tools are the Vegetation Health Index and the Keetch-Byram Drought Index:

• NOAA satellite observations of vegetation health from early June revealed stress on vegetation across much of the southwestern U.S. and in parts of the Plains and northern and central Rockies.
• The USDA Forest Service uses a satellite-based vegetation health index tool to monitor the risk of wildfires. This Greenness Index for mid-May revealed above-average stress on vegetation across much of the West and Great Plains, extending into the Great Lakes region.
• The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is used by the Wildland Fire Assessment System to monitor the risk of wildfires. The early June KBDI showed dry conditions in the Desert Southwest, parts of the central and northern Rockies, and from the southern Plains to the mid-Atlantic coast. The Forest Service fire danger analysis indicated a high risk of wildfires in the Southwest, across much of the Great Plains, and in parts of the southern Great Lakes and New England. The fire threat conditions can change rapidly from week to week.

A detailed discussion of drought conditions in the western U.S. can be found for the following regions:

• Pacific Northwest region
• West region (California and Nevada)
• Southwest region (AZ - CO - NM - UT)
• Alaska

Dry conditions in the western U.S. stretched from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. As illustrated in the North America vegetation health index map to the right below, the drought did not stop at the borders. According to news reports (Reuters),

• several stations in the Canadian prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta had a record or near-record dry May this year
• forest and grass fires, dust storms, and drying water holes have accompanied the dry weather
• with dryness throughout the central and southern areas of the plains provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, some experts now believe between one half to two thirds of Canada's western grainbelt is suffering from a moisture deficit
• five counties in eastern Alberta, along the border with Saskatchewan, have already declared an agricultural disaster
• for many farmers, this is the third, or even fourth year of drought.

• Up to 400,000 acres of winter wheat, which relies on snow and rain, rather than irrigation, that were seeded last autumn were written off. National winter wheat levels are at their lowest point since 1978 (The Arizona Republic).
• As noted by the USDA, Montana farmers were forced to abandon more than 20 percent of the state's winter wheat for the second consecutive year in 2002, which is the first such occurrence since 1935-36 and 1936-37.
• The USDA will provide the state's agricultural producers with payments for cover crops and no-till farming in an effort to control wind erosion and prevent dust storms (Reuters 5/29).
• By the first week of June, conditions for at least 40 percent of the range and pastures in the state were rated poor to very poor according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• According to the USDA, winter wheat, pastures, and summer crops across the Southern Plains are being hurt by hot and dry weather.
• In early June, the USDA NASS reported that wheat conditions in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas were rated as 45, 33, and 53 percent poor to very poor.
• In Kansas, agricultural extension agents are saying a million acres of agricultural land may have to be abandoned this year because of the drought (The Arizona Republic).

Colorado - Delaware - Delaware River Basin (DE-NJ-NY-PA) - Florida Panhandle - Georgia - Hawaii - Idaho - Kentucky - Maine - Maryland - Missouri - Montana-1 - Montana-2 - Nebraska - New Jersey-1 - New Jersey-2 - New Jersey-3 - New Mexico - North Carolina - Oklahoma-1 - Oklahoma-2 - Oklahoma-3 - Oregon-1 - Oregon-2 - Pennsylvania-1 - Pennsylvania-2 - Pennsylvania-3 - South Carolina - Texas - Vermont - Virginia - Washington - Wyoming

For additional information on current and past wildfire seasons please see the National Interagency Fire Center web site or the U.S. Forest Service Fire and Aviation web site.

NCDC's Drought Recovery Page shows the precipitation required to end or ameliorate droughts and the probability of receiving the required precipitation.

Additional climate monitoring graphics can be found at the Climate Prediction Center's monitoring pages:

• Weekly, Monthly, 3-Month, 12-Month Monitoring
• El Nino, Drought, Snow Cover, and Degree Day Monitoring
• Weekly Drought Monitoring
• Soil Moisture Monitoring

Drought conditions on the Canadian prairies can be found at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Drought Watch page.