The U.S. is almost drought-free, but for how long?

Brandon Miller
By Allie Mazurek and Brandon Miller, CNN
Published 2:37 PM EDT, Fri April 26, 2019
00:53 - Source: CNN
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CNN  — 

The United States is almost drought-free, with the lowest amount of land officially having drought conditions since tracking began in 2000.

According to the United States Drought Monitor, about 2% of the country is in drought.

Recent heavy precipitation across much of the country helped.

The Drought Monitor places drought into four categories, D1 through D4, which translate to moderate, severe, extreme, and exceptional drought.

No extreme or exceptional drought conditions for the US

While a few areas are still in drought, the situation has improved greatly since this time last year.

In April 2018, almost one-third of the US saw some level of drought, with almost 315,000 square miles falling under the two highest categories, extreme and exceptional.

No areas are currently classified as extreme or exceptional.

In a year, the US has gone from nearly 30% of the country in drought to now only 2% .

USDA/NDMC/DOC/NOAA

With temperatures warming and summer on the way, drought could reemerge, but NOAA’s spring outlook calls for above average precipitation to continue through June for much of the country.

Still, according to David Miskus, a meteorologist from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, some areas, like those along the West Coast, have their dry season in the summer and fall, “so they should normally dry out over the next several months.”

Abnormally wet conditions may help western wildfires… for now

The recent wet weather across places like California could help to dampen the threat of wildfires for the next couple of months, Miskus says.

But the extra rain and snow could bring some consequences in the upcoming warm season.

“This has led to extra growth that normally dies out over the dry and warm summer and fall,” Miskus told CNN.

“Later this year, all this extra dead vegetation may provide extra fuel during California’s normal fire season,” which is typically late summer and fall, Miskus said.

Is climate change playing a role?

California’s mega-drought of 2012-18 was worsened by climate change, according to scientists.

Both the length and severity of the drought allowed scientists to assess the role climate change played in it through a type of statistical analysis known as climate attribution.

Inmates at a state prison in Vacaville, California, install a drought-tolerant garden in October. The garden will be watered using reclaimed water from the prison's kitchen. California is entering its fifth year of severe drought.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Inmates at a state prison in Vacaville, California, install a drought-tolerant garden in October. The garden will be watered using reclaimed water from the prison's kitchen. California is entering its fifth year of severe drought.
California State Assemblyman Devon Mathis speaks to members of the media after he helped secure a donation of 100,000 water bottles in September. More than 300 homes in Porterville, California, were out of running water because of dried-up wells.
Photos: California's historic drought
JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images
California State Assemblyman Devon Mathis speaks to members of the media after he helped secure a donation of 100,000 water bottles in September. More than 300 homes in Porterville, California, were out of running water because of dried-up wells.
Evacuee James Logan embraces his wife, Lisa, as they listen to an update about a wildfire in Clearlake Oakes, California, in August. Drought conditions have fueled numerous wildfires across the state.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Evacuee James Logan embraces his wife, Lisa, as they listen to an update about a wildfire in Clearlake Oakes, California, in August. Drought conditions have fueled numerous wildfires across the state.
Firefighters hike down a hill in Clearlake, California, as they mop up hot spots from the Rocky Fire in August.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Firefighters hike down a hill in Clearlake, California, as they mop up hot spots from the Rocky Fire in August.
A golfer in San Francisco hits a shot in July. After Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a statewide water-use reduction of 25%, golf courses have been struggling to keep their fairways and greens watered.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A golfer in San Francisco hits a shot in July. After Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a statewide water-use reduction of 25%, golf courses have been struggling to keep their fairways and greens watered.
People picnic in July on the sandy bottom of Mirror Lake, which is normally covered with water at Yosemite National Park.
Photos: California's historic drought
MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
People picnic in July on the sandy bottom of Mirror Lake, which is normally covered with water at Yosemite National Park.
A man applies green paint to a brown lawn in Novato, California, in May.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A man applies green paint to a brown lawn in Novato, California, in May.
A close-up of the dry Guadalupe Creek, as seen in San Jose, California, in April.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A close-up of the dry Guadalupe Creek, as seen in San Jose, California, in April.
Workers install artificial grass at a home in Burlingame, California, in April.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Workers install artificial grass at a home in Burlingame, California, in April.
Motorists in Rancho Cordova, California, pass a sign in April reminding them to reduce water use.
Photos: California's historic drought
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Motorists in Rancho Cordova, California, pass a sign in April reminding them to reduce water use.
A woman in Sequoia National Park looks up at barren terrain typically populated by skiers in April.
Photos: California's historic drought
Brian Melley/AP
A woman in Sequoia National Park looks up at barren terrain typically populated by skiers in April.
California Gov. Jerry Brown, right, walks with Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program for the Department of Water Resources, near Echo Summit, California, in April. Gehrke said this was the first time since he has been conducting the survey that he found no snow at that location at that time of the year.
Photos: California's historic drought
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
California Gov. Jerry Brown, right, walks with Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program for the Department of Water Resources, near Echo Summit, California, in April. Gehrke said this was the first time since he has been conducting the survey that he found no snow at that location at that time of the year.
People hike along a ridge overlooking the Griffith Observatory, where vegetation was drying out in Los Angeles in March 2015.
Photos: California's historic drought
David McNew/Getty Images
People hike along a ridge overlooking the Griffith Observatory, where vegetation was drying out in Los Angeles in March 2015.
In March 2015, a power boat sits on a Lake McClure parking lot that used to be underwater in La Grange, California.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In March 2015, a power boat sits on a Lake McClure parking lot that used to be underwater in La Grange, California.
Low water is seen at the dam of Lake Success, near East Porterville, California, in February 2015.
Photos: California's historic drought
David McNew/Getty Images
Low water is seen at the dam of Lake Success, near East Porterville, California, in February 2015.
This picture taken from a helicopter shows a drought-affected area near Los Altos Hills, California, in July 2014.
Photos: California's historic drought
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
This picture taken from a helicopter shows a drought-affected area near Los Altos Hills, California, in July 2014.
A woman walks her dog in San Francisco in July 2014.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A woman walks her dog in San Francisco in July 2014.
A worker washes the sidewalk in front of a San Francisco hotel in July 2014.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A worker washes the sidewalk in front of a San Francisco hotel in July 2014.
In June 2014, a pedestrian walks by a sign posted in front of the lawn at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In June 2014, a pedestrian walks by a sign posted in front of the lawn at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
Residents photograph the burning ruins of their home, which was destroyed in a wildfire in Carlsbad, California, in May 2014.
Photos: California's historic drought
David McNew/Getty Images
Residents photograph the burning ruins of their home, which was destroyed in a wildfire in Carlsbad, California, in May 2014.
Volunteers pack bags of oatmeal at a San Francisco food bank in May 2014. The longstanding drought has contributed to an increase in food prices.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Volunteers pack bags of oatmeal at a San Francisco food bank in May 2014. The longstanding drought has contributed to an increase in food prices.
Fingerling Chinook salmon are dumped into a holding pen as they are transferred from a truck into the Sacramento River in March 2014. Low water levels forced wildlife officials to truck more than 400,000 fish nearly 300 miles. They usually make the trip on their own.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Fingerling Chinook salmon are dumped into a holding pen as they are transferred from a truck into the Sacramento River in March 2014. Low water levels forced wildlife officials to truck more than 400,000 fish nearly 300 miles. They usually make the trip on their own.
A tractor plows a field in Firebaugh, California, in February 2014. Almond farmer Barry Baker had 1,000 acres -- 20% -- of his almond trees removed because he didn't have access to enough water to keep them alive.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A tractor plows a field in Firebaugh, California, in February 2014. Almond farmer Barry Baker had 1,000 acres -- 20% -- of his almond trees removed because he didn't have access to enough water to keep them alive.
Plumbing technician Todd Snider installs an aerator at a home in Novato in February 2014. Californians have been installing water-saving devices in their homes to reduce consumption.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Plumbing technician Todd Snider installs an aerator at a home in Novato in February 2014. Californians have been installing water-saving devices in their homes to reduce consumption.
A worker installs an artificial lawn in front of an apartment building in San Jose in January 2014.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A worker installs an artificial lawn in front of an apartment building in San Jose in January 2014.
A car sits at the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir in San Jose in January 2014.
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A car sits at the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir in San Jose in January 2014.
Rocky shores are exposed by the low waters of Morris Reservoir, on the San Gabriel River near Azusa, California, in January 2014.
Photos: California's historic drought
David McNew/Getty Images
Rocky shores are exposed by the low waters of Morris Reservoir, on the San Gabriel River near Azusa, California, in January 2014.
During a news conference in San Francisco in January 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown holds a chart showing the statewide average precipitation. The governor <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/17/us/california-wildfire/index.html">declared a drought emergency</a> for the state, saying it faced "perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since records (began) about 100 years ago."
Photos: California's historic drought
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
During a news conference in San Francisco in January 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown holds a chart showing the statewide average precipitation. The governor declared a drought emergency for the state, saying it faced "perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since records (began) about 100 years ago."

But the recent wet period is a relatively short-term trend, according to Miskus, making those comparisons difficult.

“It is not uncommon for the US to go through periods with nearly drought-free conditions,” Miskus said.

However, Brian Fuchs, from the National Drought Mitigation Center, notes last month was the seventh wettest March in 125 years, according to the Palmer Drought Index, which is one tool that goes into creating the drought monitor.

So, while fluctuations between wet and dry periods are common, the current conditions are above average.

Climate studies have pointed to this phenomenon, where Western US states go from extremely dry to extremely wet very quickly. Known as “weather whiplash,” it could become common in the future, thanks to global warming.