Weeks with half the area in drought
The number of weeks in the year when at least half of the area was in moderate drought or worse on the weekly Drought Monitor map. Most years have 52 weekly maps and some have 53. Experts draw the maps from rain, soil, stream and crop data.
Reported for3,144areas, in 51 states — none in PR
Link to density0.31not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.85Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typerateweeks
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
US Drought Monitor · USDM data services GetDroughtSeverityStatisticsByAreaPercent, statisticsType=1, D1
National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), USDA, NOAA and NASA · 2000-2025, from weekly maps · None published; experts draw the weekly maps from many kinds of data
A count of weeks above a threshold. Whether half of a state was in drought cannot be worked out from how many weeks each county was.
Combining areas: it cannot be combined, so it is shown only where its publisher works it out.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 1 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Summer daily highWhere Weeks with half the area in drought is higher, Summer daily high tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Summer daily high by US county | +0.32 | +0.40 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Yearly precipitationWhere Weeks with half the area in drought is higher, Yearly precipitation tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Yearly precipitation by US county | -0.47 | -0.40 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Current asthmaWhere Weeks with half the area in drought is higher, Current asthma tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Current asthma by US county | -0.33 | -0.35 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and LonelinessWhere Weeks with half the area in drought is higher, Loneliness tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Loneliness by US county | -0.36 | -0.33 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Adult income rank of children raised poor hereWhere Weeks with half the area in drought is higher, Adult income rank of children raised poor here tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Adult income rank of children raised poor here by US county | +0.39 | +0.31 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Share White, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | +0.02 | -0.04 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Share Black, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | -0.18 | -0.13 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Weeks with half the area in drought is higher, Share Hispanic or Latino, any race tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | +0.22 | +0.22 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Share Asian, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | -0.10 | -0.02 |
| Weeks with half the area in drought and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicWhere Weeks with half the area in drought is higher, Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | -0.03 | -0.12 |
Highest and lowest
Of 3,144 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Winkler County, TX — 52
- Uvalde County, TX — 52
- Real County, TX — 52
- Presidio County, TX — 52
- Mills County, TX — 52
Lowest
The middle area reports 12. The middle half of counties falls between 6 and 23 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
US Counties With the Highest Weeks with Half the Area in Drought · US Counties With the Lowest Weeks with Half the Area in Drought
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works