Drought
Above normalMontana drought
Share of state area in drought (D1-D4) or worse, week over week
Data through Aug 25, 2026 · source last checked Aug 27, 2026 · page revised Aug 27, 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
- Montana
- Unit
- %
- Calculation
- Conditions as of the prior Tuesday
- Last observation
- Aug 25, 2026
- Update frequency
- Weekly, released Thursdays
Drought worsened week over week (now 56%).
Montana's drought coverage rose to 56%, up 1 percentage point from the prior week. Month over month the increase is 10 percentage points, year over year 14 percentage points. Coverage stands 14 percentage points above the 5-year median.
| Period | Current | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week over week | 56% | 55% | +1 pts |
| Month over month | 56% | 46% | +10 pts |
| Year over year | 56% | 42% | +14 pts |
| vs 5-yr median | 56% | 42% | +14 pts |
Previous weeks
Week of Aug 18, 2026
Montana drought coverage stands at 55% through Aug 18, down 2 percentage points from the prior week but up 9 percentage points month over month and 13 percentage points year over year. According to the US Drought Monitor, the state sits 13 percentage points above its 5-year median.
An earlier week
Montana drought coverage reached 57% of the state this week, up 8 percentage points from the prior week, according to the US Drought Monitor. Conditions have deteriorated steadily: the state sits 9 points above its 5-year median and 9 points worse than a year ago. Month over month, coverage grew 4 points.
Week of Aug 13, 2026
Montana's drought coverage rose to 49% of the state this week, up 3 percentage points. The state remains 7 points below its 5-year median for this period and is 7 points improved year over year, per the US Drought Monitor.