15 States Experiencing the Worst Droughts in 2024 (So Far)

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Captain Experiences.

As 2024 unfolds, it is rapidly becoming the hottest year on record, with unprecedented high temperatures being recorded around the world. The sweltering heat is not just uncomfortable but has far-reaching implications for the environment, agriculture, and water resources, exacerbating already existing drought conditions in many regions.

The correlation between rising temperatures and the frequency and severity of severe weather events, including droughts, is well-documented. As temperatures go up, evaporation increases, leading to reduced soil moisture and lower water levels in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

This amplifies periods of low precipitation and not only impacts agriculture but also stresses the water supply for industrial and residential use. Moreover, the combination of high temperatures and dry conditions creates a perfect storm for wildfires, which have increasingly been impacting large areas in the western U.S.

Taken together, these changing climate patterns are creating a vicious cycle where hotter temperatures lead to more severe droughts, which in turn contribute to even higher temperatures.

Today, certain areas are grappling with extremely dry conditions. The Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI) provides a measure of these conditions by converting a location’s drought severity levels into a single statistic, ranging from zero to 500, where zero indicates no abnormal dryness and 500 means the entire area is in exceptional drought.

Following is a breakdown of the states that have faced the worst drought conditions so far this year, the share of their population living in affected areas and the number of residents affected. The analysis was conducted by Captain Experiences, a fishing and hunting guide reservation platform, using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. For more information, see the methodology section at the end.

15. Louisiana

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 75.6
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 27.0%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 17.8%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 10.4%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 4.8%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 1.4%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 1,239,113
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 816,352
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 476,215
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 218,318
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 62,220

14. Wyoming

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 75.7
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 54.1%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 19.6%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 3.1%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.0%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 314,810
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 113,682
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 18,038
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

13. Hawaii

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 77.5
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 41.2%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 11.2%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 2.1%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.0%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 592,831
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 161,938
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 29,812
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

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12. Idaho

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 79.2
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 28.2%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 19.0%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 6.4%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.0%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 546,257
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 368,116
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 124,254
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 219
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

11. Wisconsin

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 81.5
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 26.3%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 9.7%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 2.4%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.0%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 1,549,757
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 572,470
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 140,756
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 627
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

10. Missouri

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 81.7
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 47.2%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 20.8%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 2.9%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.0%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 2,915,896
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 1,284,437
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 176,271
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 1,714
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

9. Texas

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 88.4
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 30.4%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 19.6%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 8.8%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 4.0%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 9,133,640
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 5,896,355
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 2,651,321
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 1,187,912
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 3,294

8. Tennessee

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 93.4
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 42.0%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 22.9%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 11.0%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 4.3%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.1%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 2,960,766
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 1,617,168
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 776,625
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 302,048
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 5,141

7. Minnesota

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 94.2
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 51.8%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 18.3%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 2.1%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.1%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 2,959,067
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 1,046,208
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 117,663
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 3,596
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

6. Mississippi

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 96.1
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 36.8%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 22.3%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 15.5%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 9.8%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 4.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 1,083,259
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 655,215
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 456,657
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 289,434
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 118,133

5. Kansas

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 115.5
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 57.7%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 28.3%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 8.7%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.1%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 1,694,546
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 830,920
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 254,632
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 3,610
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

4. Arizona

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 131.3
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 72.2%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 43.8%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 15.0%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 0.7%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 5,312,438
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 3,225,441
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 1,105,114
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 53,841
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

3. Montana

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 134.7
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 85.8%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 56.4%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 21.6%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 2.1%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 963,322
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 632,891
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 242,025
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 23,558
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 540

2. Iowa

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 157.6
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 67.9%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 51.6%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 36.4%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 15.1%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0.0%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 2,172,057
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 1,650,806
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 1,164,988
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 482,122
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 0

1. New Mexico

• Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI): 240.4
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 99.0%
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 87.3%
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 50.9%
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 18.8%
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 1.9%
• Population abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4): 2,091,672
• Population moderate drought or worse (D1-D4): 1,845,113
• Population severe drought or worse (D2-D4): 1,076,476
• Population extreme drought or worse (D3-D4): 396,872
• Population in exceptional drought (D4): 40,201

Methodology

The data used in this study is from the U.S. Drought Monitor, which is a collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

To determine the locations that have experienced the worst drought conditions so far in 2024, researchers at Captain Experiences calculated the average Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI) between Jan. 1, 2024, and July 25, 2024.

The DSCI ranges from zero to 500, where zero indicates that none of the area is abnormally dry or in drought and 500 means that all of the area is in exceptional drought. Researchers also calculated the percentage of the population and total population in each drought severity category, averaged over the same time period.

To improve relevance, only counties with at least 100,000 residents were included in the final county lists.