Drought
Below normalCalifornia drought
Share of state area in drought (D1-D4) or worse, week over week
Data through Oct 13, 2026 · source last checked Oct 17, 2026 · page revised Oct 16, 2026
Cite
- % in drought
About this data
- Source
- US Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, NOAA)
- Series
- Share of area in moderate drought (D1) or worse
- Geography
- California
- Unit
- %
- Calculation
- Conditions as of the prior Tuesday
- Last observation
- Oct 13, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly, released Thursdays
Drought held steady week over week (now 23%).
Drought held steady at 23% of California in moderate drought or worse for the week through October 13. Month over month, the share rose 1 point. Year over year and versus the 5-year median, coverage has improved 15 points from 39%.
| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week over week | 23% | 23% | +0 pts |
| Month over month | 23% | 22% | +1 pts |
| Year over year | 23% | 39% | -15 pts |
| vs 5-yr median | 23% | 39% | -15 pts |
| Category | Share of area in this category | At this level or worse |
|---|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry | 48.9% | 72.1% |
| D1 moderate drought | 23.3% | 23.3% |
| D2 severe drought | 0% | 0% |
| D3 extreme drought | 0% | 0% |
| D4 exceptional drought | 0% | 0% |
| County | Area in drought (D1-D4) | Since last week | Most severe category | Weeks in drought |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County | 4.1% | no change | D1 moderate drought | 4 |
| Fresno County | 0% | no change | D0 abnormally dry | 0 |
| Kings County | 0% | no change | None | 0 |
| Merced County | 0% | no change | D0 abnormally dry | 0 |
| San Joaquin County | 0% | no change | D0 abnormally dry | 0 |
| Stanislaus County | 0% | no change | D0 abnormally dry | 0 |
| Tulare County | 0% | no change | D0 abnormally dry | 0 |
Each county is read from the same weekly US Drought Monitor map, inside the county line. Weeks in drought counts the weekly maps in a row, up to the latest, that show any of the county in D1 or worse.
Previous weeks
Week of Oct 6, 2026
Drought held steady at 23% week over week, though it rose 4 percentage points in the prior month. The state remains 15 percentage points below both its year-ago level and the 5-year median, which stood at 39%.
Week of Sep 29, 2026
Drought held steady week over week at 23% of state area in moderate drought or worse. Month over month the state worsened 4 percentage points, but year over year and versus the 5-year median it has improved 15 percentage points.
Week of Sep 22, 2026
Drought coverage reached 23% of state area, up 1 point on the week. Over the past month, coverage rose 9 points. Conditions sit 15 points below the 5-year median.
Week of Sep 8, 2026
Week over week, drought coverage held at 19%. Month over month, coverage rose 12 percentage points from 7%, reflecting a worsening trend. Year over year and against the 5-year median, coverage fell 21 percentage points from 40%.
California drought conditions
California has 23.3% of its area in drought (D1 or worse) on the US Drought Monitor map dated Oct 13, 2026, and 72.1% at least abnormally dry (D0 or worse). The most severe category present is D1, moderate drought, covering 23.3% of the state.
Over the last 52 weekly maps the share in drought ranged from 0% (Dec 9, 2025) to 32.1% (Oct 21, 2025), and 35 of them showed at least some drought.
This site tracks 10 reservoirs in California. The three largest by capacity: Shasta Lake's water level stood at 977.6 feet above sea level on Oct 15, 2026, with 2.37 million acre-feet in storage (52% of capacity); Lake Oroville's water level stood at 742.19 feet above sea level on Oct 15, 2026, with 1.53 million acre-feet in storage (45% of capacity); and Trinity Lake's water level stood at 2,315.6 feet above sea level on Oct 15, 2026, with 1.65 million acre-feet in storage (68% of capacity). The other 7 are on western reservoir levels. The drought map scores conditions on the land week by week, while a large reservoir carries water over from earlier years, so the two can tell different stories for a season or longer.
The Monitor sorts land into five categories, from D0, abnormally dry and not yet drought, to D4, exceptional drought, and this page counts D1 through D4 as drought. The guide to what D0 to D4 mean explains each class, who draws the weekly map and why it lags a fast-moving storm.