Is Idaho in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for Idaho, and the category in each of its 44 counties, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 65.78% of Idaho is in drought (D1 to D4).
83.77% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4), 48.97% in severe drought or worse (D2 to D4), 25.38% extreme or worse (D3 to D4) and 6.72% in D4 Exceptional Drought.
Next map: released Thursday 22 October 2026.
On the map valid 13 October 2026, 44 of 44 counties had some drought (D1 or worse). D4 Exceptional Drought somewhere in 3. D3 Extreme Drought somewhere in 13. D2 Severe Drought somewhere in 20.
Every county, map valid 13 October 2026
The category is the most severe one covering any part of the county; the share says how much of it. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row with that category or worse somewhere in it.
| County | Category this week | Share in it | In drought (D1–D4) | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada County | D2 Severe Drought | 14.71% | 68.23% | 17 weeks |
| Adams County | D2 Severe Drought | 26.09% | 94.22% | 29 weeks |
| Bannock County | D3 Extreme Drought | 56.09% | 100% | 23 weeks |
| Bear Lake County | D2 Severe Drought | 72.97% | 100% | 27 weeks |
| Benewah County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Bingham County | D3 Extreme Drought | 48.24% | 100% | 23 weeks |
| Blaine County | D3 Extreme Drought | 27.19% | 68.82% | 25 weeks |
| Boise County | D1 Moderate Drought | 16.99% | 16.99% | 37 weeks |
| Bonner County | D2 Severe Drought | 68.86% | 91.93% | 33 weeks |
| Bonneville County | D2 Severe Drought | 64.73% | 100% | 29 weeks |
| Boundary County | D2 Severe Drought | 44.32% | 86.34% | 11 weeks |
| Butte County | D3 Extreme Drought | 7.32% | 89.77% | 23 weeks |
| Camas County | D3 Extreme Drought | 38% | 75.48% | 13 weeks |
| Canyon County | D1 Moderate Drought | 11.28% | 11.28% | 22 weeks |
| Caribou County | D2 Severe Drought | 99.95% | 100% | 27 weeks |
| Cassia County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 17.08% | 100% | 23 weeks |
| Clark County | D2 Severe Drought | 0.28% | 63.44% | 29 weeks |
| Clearwater County | D2 Severe Drought | 24.47% | 51.04% | 39 weeks |
| Custer County | D1 Moderate Drought | 3.39% | 3.39% | 27 weeks |
| Elmore County | D3 Extreme Drought | 33.24% | 85.47% | 18 weeks |
| Franklin County | D2 Severe Drought | 87.16% | 100% | 27 weeks |
| Fremont County | D2 Severe Drought | 12.92% | 58.49% | 29 weeks |
| Gem County | D1 Moderate Drought | 2.2% | 2.2% | 37 weeks |
| Gooding County | D3 Extreme Drought | 100% | 100% | 22 weeks |
| Idaho County | D2 Severe Drought | 1.28% | 18.62% | 17 weeks |
| Jefferson County | D2 Severe Drought | 94.73% | 100% | 29 weeks |
| Jerome County | D3 Extreme Drought | 100% | 100% | 22 weeks |
| Kootenai County | D3 Extreme Drought | 18.66% | 100% | 7 weeks |
| Latah County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Lemhi County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.25% | 0.25% | 29 weeks |
| Lewis County | D2 Severe Drought | 74.3% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Lincoln County | D3 Extreme Drought | 100% | 100% | 22 weeks |
| Madison County | D2 Severe Drought | 72.34% | 100% | 29 weeks |
| Minidoka County | D3 Extreme Drought | 100% | 100% | 25 weeks |
| Nez Perce County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | at least 54 weeks |
| Oneida County | D3 Extreme Drought | 91.57% | 100% | 25 weeks |
| Owyhee County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 53.21% | 98.77% | 29 weeks |
| Payette County | D1 Moderate Drought | 28.9% | 28.9% | 22 weeks |
| Power County | D3 Extreme Drought | 100% | 100% | 25 weeks |
| Shoshone County | D2 Severe Drought | 33.13% | 85.42% | 37 weeks |
| Teton County | D1 Moderate Drought | 98.47% | 98.47% | at least 54 weeks |
| Twin Falls County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 55.73% | 100% | 27 weeks |
| Valley County | D1 Moderate Drought | 1.92% | 1.92% | 37 weeks |
| Washington County | D2 Severe Drought | 63.59% | 95.15% | 11 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in Idaho by county · 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 Idaho · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is Idaho in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 65.78% of Idaho is in drought (D1 to D4) and 83.77% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4). 48.97% is in D2 Severe Drought or worse.
Which counties in Idaho are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in Idaho is D4 Exceptional Drought, in Cassia County, Owyhee County, Twin Falls County.
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.