According to the July 29, 2025 U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), moderate to exceptional drought (D1–D4) covers 26.0% of the United States including Puerto Rico, a decrease from 27.3% on the July 1 map. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) decreased from 4.9% last month to 4.8%.
From July 1–29, the USDM reported reductions or improvements in drought and abnormal dryness across large portions of the Plains and Midwest, across much of the Florida Peninsula, and in parts of the southern Southwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Hawaii.
Drought expanded or intensified from the Northwest to the central Rockies, in the Southeast, and in parts of Northeast, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.
Approximately 66.3 million people are currently living in drought-affected areas, a decrease of 7.5 million people since the July 1 map. As of July 29, abnormal dryness and drought are affecting over 107 million people across the United States including Puerto Rico—about 34.5% 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 on this week’s Drought Monitor update at the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Take a look at the most recent U.S. Drought Outlook. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s World Agriculture Outlook Board also provides information about the drought’s influence on crops and livestock.
For additional drought information, follow #DroughtMonitor on Facebook and X.
