Drought in Montana

~45%
Share of state in drought (2023)
~18%
Severe drought share
>20
Counties with agricultural disaster declarations
~85%
Snowpack vs. average (2023)

Historical data

Coming soon

Long-run charts for this indicator are on the way.

Compared to the United States

IndicatorMontanaUnited States
Share of state area in drought (%)4529

National ranking

Montana ranks #26 of 32 states by share of area in drought.

#1Kentucky0
#2Utah0
#3Louisiana0
#4Indiana5%
#5South Dakota7
#6Ohio8%
#7New Hampshire8%
#8Michigan8%
#9Tennessee8%
#10Missouri8%
#11Massachusetts10%
#12New Jersey10%
#13Virginia10%
#14Wisconsin10%
#15Washington10%
#16Maine12%
#17North Carolina12%
#18Illinois14%
#19Florida15%
#20Minnesota15%
#21Georgia15%
#22Wyoming18
#23Colorado25%
#24Oregon35%
#25Vermont40%
#26Montana45%
#27Alaska45%
#28Texas46%
#29New Mexico55%
#30Arizona60%
#31Delaware1,150
#32Rhode Island1,220

Overview

Montana drought conditions recur frequently in the eastern plains, straining wheat and cattle production. Montana drought monitoring relies on snowpack and precipitation data from NOAA and USDA.

Did you know?

  • Eastern Montana counties have declared agricultural drought disasters in multiple recent years.

Related data