Is Alaska in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for Alaska, and the category in each of its 30 boroughs and census areas, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 0.74% of Alaska is in drought (D1 to D4).
3.29% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4), 0% in severe drought or worse (D2 to D4), 0% extreme or worse (D3 to D4) and 0% in D4 Exceptional Drought.
Next map: released Thursday 22 October 2026.
On the map valid 13 October 2026, 1 of 30 boroughs and census areas had some drought (D1 or worse); 8 more were abnormally dry (D0) only.
Every borough or census area, map valid 13 October 2026
The category is the most severe one covering any part of the borough or census area; the share says how much of it. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row with that category or worse somewhere in it.
| Borough or census area | Category this week | Share in it | In drought (D1–D4) | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleutians East Borough | None | 0% | at least 54 weeks | |
| Aleutians West Census Area | None | 0% | at least 54 weeks | |
| Anchorage Municipality | None | 0% | 14 weeks | |
| Bethel Census Area | None | 0% | 24 weeks | |
| Bristol Bay Borough | None | 0% | 42 weeks | |
| Chugach Census Area | None | 0% | 21 weeks | |
| Copper River Census Area | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Denali Borough | None | 0% | 5 weeks | |
| Dillingham Census Area | None | 0% | 24 weeks | |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | None | 0% | 5 weeks | |
| Haines Borough | D0 Abnormally Dry | 63.23% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | D0 Abnormally Dry | 38.29% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Juneau City and Borough | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | None | 0% | 13 weeks | |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | None | 0% | 1 week | |
| Kodiak Island Borough | None | 0% | 21 weeks | |
| Kusilvak Census Area | None | 0% | at least 54 weeks | |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | None | 0% | 21 weeks | |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | None | 0% | 14 weeks | |
| Nome Census Area | None | 0% | 11 weeks | |
| North Slope Borough | None | 0% | 13 weeks | |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | None | 0% | 11 weeks | |
| Petersburg Borough | D0 Abnormally Dry | 94.47% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | D0 Abnormally Dry | 15.71% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Sitka City and Borough | D0 Abnormally Dry | 10.03% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Skagway Municipality | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | D1 Moderate Drought | 17.25% | 17.25% | 3 weeks |
| Wrangell City and Borough | D0 Abnormally Dry | 14.23% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Yakutat City and Borough | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | None | 0% | 6 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in Alaska by borough or census area · Drought in every state
The categories
| Category | Name |
|---|---|
| D0 | Abnormally Dry (not drought: going into or coming out of drought) |
| D1 | Moderate Drought |
| D2 | Severe Drought |
| D3 | Extreme Drought |
| D4 | Exceptional Drought |
What each category means on the ground is described on the Drought Monitor's classification page.
How this page reads the Drought Monitor
- The figures are the U.S. Drought Monitor's own statistics (share of area in each category), read from its data service. The categories are theirs, unchanged. This site does not make its own drought assessment.
- The Drought Monitor gives each county a share in each category. A county's category here is the most severe one covering any part of it, with the share it covers. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row, newest first, on which some of the county was at that category or worse.
- A new map is released every Thursday, valid for the Tuesday before. Every figure here carries that valid date. This site reads the new week once, after the Thursday release, and keeps it.
- Counties are matched to the Drought Monitor by their five-digit FIPS code. Connecticut is shown by its nine planning regions, which replaced its eight counties in 2022; the Drought Monitor's county statistics use the same planning regions.
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, droughtmonitor.unl.edu · The official map for Alaska · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is Alaska in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 0.74% of Alaska is in drought (D1 to D4) and 3.29% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4).
Which boroughs and census areas in Alaska are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in Alaska is D1 Moderate Drought, in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.
How is a county's category chosen on this page?
The U.S. Drought Monitor gives the share of each county in each category. This page names the most severe category covering any part of the county, and always says how much of the county it covers.