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Storm hazard · NOAA Storm Events Database

Drought in the United States

National statistics for drought events from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025): how often they occur, where they hit hardest, and the human and property toll.

44,239
Events recorded
0
Fatalities
$110.4M
Property damage
46
States affected

How dangerous are Drought events in the U.S.?

NOAA's Storm Events Database has catalogued 44,239 drought events across 46 states and territories between 2015 and 2025. The cumulative human toll is 0 fatalities and 700 injuries, and the financial footprint reaches $2.6B in combined property ($110.4M) and crop ($2.5B) damage. On a per-fatality basis this places drought events at a low severity tier relative to other tracked hazard types in the NOAA catalog.

Where this hazard actually strikes varies sharply by region. The three states absorbing the largest share of events are TX (9,539 events, 0 fatalities), NM (4,303 events, 0 fatalities), OK (3,877 events, 0 fatalities), a pattern driven more by climatology than by any one state's vulnerability. At the other end, states such as RI, WY, AS report far fewer events, often reflecting hazard climatology rather than underreporting.

The annual record is uneven rather than steadily rising or falling. The peak year on record was 2022, logging 13,746 events and $31.3M in property damage in a single calendar year. The most recent year in the dataset is 2025 with 6,566 events recorded. Across the full 11-year window, annual event counts reflect natural year-to-year noise given how infrequently this hazard is recorded at all.

How to interpret this data

NOAA storm event data is filed by local National Weather Service forecast offices, so reporting intensity can vary by jurisdiction and should be interpreted alongside FEMA disaster declarations for a fuller picture.

For household and business preparedness, this state-and-year view should be paired with local-level FEMA National Risk Index ratings, flood-zone maps where applicable, and up-to-date NWS watch/warning information, population exposure and asset value matter as much as raw event frequency for estimating real-world risk.

Drought by State

# State EventsFatalitiesProperty Damage
1 Texas TX 9,539 0 $86.0K
2 New Mexico NM 4,303 0 $0
3 Oklahoma OK 3,877 0 $0
4 Nebraska NE 2,358 0 $0
5 California CA 2,039 0 $0
6 Iowa IA 1,768 0 $0
7 Kansas KS 1,636 0 $0
8 Georgia GA 1,518 0 $0
9 South Dakota SD 1,512 0 $0
10 Missouri MO 1,433 0 $106.4M
11 Hawaii HI 1,216 0 $0
12 Colorado CO 1,053 0 $0
13 Tennessee TN 1,040 0 $0
14 Alabama AL 968 0 $0
15 Montana MT 908 0 $0
16 Mississippi MS 784 0 $1.8M
17 Louisiana LA 781 0 $200.0K
18 North Dakota ND 764 0 $0
19 Minnesota MN 746 0 $0
20 Florida FL 728 0 $0
21 Illinois IL 633 0 $0
22 Arkansas AR 540 0 $50.0K
23 Arizona AZ 508 0 $0
24 Kentucky KY 433 0 $0
25 Wisconsin WI 400 0 $0
26 West Virginia WV 398 0 $0
27 Maine ME 368 0 $140.0K
28 Utah UT 368 0 $0
29 Massachusetts MA 177 0 $0
30 Indiana IN 170 0 $0
31 Pennsylvania PA 164 0 $0
32 New York NY 162 0 $0
33 Guam GU 162 0 $16.5K
34 New Hampshire NH 160 0 $1.6M
35 North Carolina NC 158 0 $0
36 Ohio OH 111 0 $0
37 Virginia VA 91 0 $0
38 Connecticut CT 56 0 $0
39 New Jersey NJ 40 0 $0
40 South Carolina SC 40 0 $0
41 Puerto Rico PR 40 0 $0
42 Vermont VT 32 0 $0
43 U.S. Virgin Islands VI 29 0 $0
44 Rhode Island RI 25 0 $0
45 Wyoming WY 2 0 $0
46 American Samoa AS 1 0 $50.0K

Drought by Year

Year Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
2025 6,566 0 0 $74.3M
2024 3,473 0 0 $0
2023 5,815 0 0 $952.2K
2022 13,746 0 700 $31.3M
2021 4,083 0 0 $0
2020 2,244 0 0 $1.8M
2019 1,007 0 0 $200.0K
2018 2,417 0 0 $0
2017 1,220 0 0 $50.0K
2016 2,271 0 0 $1.7M
2015 1,397 0 0 $86.0K

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Climate Change & Disasters

How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many drought events have occurred in the US?
The NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 44,239 drought events across 46 states from 2015 to 2025. These events caused 0 fatalities and 700 injuries.
Which states are most affected by drought events?
The states most affected by drought include TX (9,539 events), NM (4,303 events), OK (3,877 events). These three states account for a significant share of all recorded drought incidents in the US.
How much damage do drought events cause?
Drought events have caused an estimated $2.6B in combined property and crop damage from 2015 to 2025. Property damage alone accounts for $110.4M, with crop damage at $2.5B.
What year had the most drought events?
The year with the most recorded drought events was 2022, with 13,746 events resulting in 0 fatalities and $31.3M in property damage.
How dangerous are drought events?
Drought events have a low severity rating based on 0 fatalities and 700 injuries recorded from 2015 to 2025 across 46 states. Preparedness and early warning systems are critical for reducing risk.
Which states have the fewest drought events?
The states with the fewest drought events include RI (25 events), WY (2 events), AS (1 events). Geographic and climatic factors largely determine regional vulnerability to this hazard type.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (2015-2025) NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.