According to the September 23, 2025 U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), moderate to exceptional drought (D1–D4) covers 36.4% of the United States including Puerto Rico, an increase from 27.7% on the August 26 map. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) decreased from 6.0% last month to 5.1%.
From August 26 to September 23, the USDM reported that drought and abnormal dryness worsened across much of the eastern U.S., including the Midwest, Lower Mississippi Valley, Northeast and Southeast, as well as parts of Texas and Hawaii. In contrast, drought and abnormal dryness improved across parts of the West, the Great Plains, Alaska and Puerto Rico.
As of September 23, abnormal dryness and drought are affecting over 225 million people across the United States including Puerto Rico—about 72.2% of the population.
The full U.S. Drought Monitor weekly update is available from Drought.gov.
In addition to Drought.gov, you can find further information on the current drought as well as on this week’s Drought Monitor update at the National Drought Mitigation Center.
The most recent U.S. Drought Outlook is available from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides information about the drought’s influence on crops and livestock.
For additional drought information, follow #DroughtMonitor on Facebook and X.
