Drought
Above normalNevada 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
- Nevada
- 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 96%).
Drought held steady week over week at 96%. Month over month, coverage rose 4 percentage points from 91%. Year over year and versus the 5-year median, Nevada sits at 96% in drought, up 33 percentage points from 63%.
| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week over week | 96% | 96% | +0 pts |
| Month over month | 96% | 91% | +4 pts |
| Year over year | 96% | 63% | +33 pts |
| vs 5-yr median | 96% | 63% | +33 pts |
| Category | Share of area in this category | At this level or worse |
|---|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry | 4.2% | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought | 43% | 95.8% |
| D2 severe drought | 45.7% | 52.8% |
| D3 extreme drought | 6.3% | 7% |
| D4 exceptional drought | 0.7% | 0.7% |
Previous weeks
Week of Oct 6, 2026
Nevada's drought coverage held at 96% for the week. Month over month, it rose 6 points from 89%. Year over year the state is up 33 points and now 33 points above the 5-year median.
Week of Sep 29, 2026
Ninety-six percent of Nevada was in moderate drought or worse, unchanged on the week. Coverage worsened 6 points from last month and sits 17 points above both its year-ago level and the 5-year median.
Week of Sep 22, 2026
Nevada drought coverage reached 96%, up 4 points week over week per the US Drought Monitor. Over the month it has risen 6 points, and over the past year 17 points. Coverage sits 17 points above the 5-year median for this period.
Week of Sep 8, 2026
Nevada drought coverage held at 89% week over week. Over the past month it rose 14 points, and year over year it has climbed 24 points. Coverage stands 24 points above the 5-year median.
Nevada drought conditions
Nevada has 95.8% of its area in drought (D1 or worse) on the US Drought Monitor map dated Oct 13, 2026, and 100% at least abnormally dry (D0 or worse). The most severe category present is D4, exceptional drought, covering 0.7% of the state.
Over the last 52 weekly maps the share in drought ranged from 20% (Jan 13, 2026) to 95.8% (Sep 22, 2026), and every one of them showed at least some drought.
This site tracks two reservoirs in Nevada: Lake Mead's water level stood at 1,037.53 feet above sea level on Oct 15, 2026, with 6.81 million acre-feet in storage (26% of capacity); and Lake Mohave's water level stood at 638.87 feet above sea level on Oct 15, 2026, with 1.64 million acre-feet in storage (91% of capacity). 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.