The new year is beginning with more of the same. The U.S. has been in significant drought since late 2020 with drought conditions continuing into 2023. The final Drought Monitor of 2022 showed that 74.05 percent of the U.S. is abnormally dry or worse (D0-D4) with 49.65 percent of the country in D1-D4 levels of drought.
The drought categories can be combined into the Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI), which can range from 0 to 500 and currently stands at 165. The DSCI for the U.S. has been 150 or above for 117 consecutive weeks, dating back to October 2020 (Figure 1).
