Is Maryland in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for Maryland, and the category in each of its 24 counties, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 17.07% of Maryland is in drought (D1 to D4).
72.89% 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, 9 of 24 counties had some drought (D1 or worse); 13 more were abnormally dry (D0) only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Anne Arundel County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Baltimore City | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Baltimore County | D1 Moderate Drought | 12.11% | 12.11% | 44 weeks |
| Calvert County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 80.17% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Caroline County | D1 Moderate Drought | 56.82% | 56.82% | 27 weeks |
| Carroll County | D1 Moderate Drought | 66.64% | 66.64% | 51 weeks |
| Cecil County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 5.76% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Charles County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 42.65% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Dorchester County | D1 Moderate Drought | 36.59% | 36.59% | 50 weeks |
| Frederick County | D1 Moderate Drought | 86.13% | 86.13% | 53 weeks |
| Garrett County | None | 0% | 13 weeks | |
| Harford County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 95.63% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Howard County | D1 Moderate Drought | 7.99% | 7.99% | 51 weeks |
| Kent County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 68.82% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Montgomery County | D1 Moderate Drought | 2.1% | 2.1% | at least 54 weeks |
| Prince George's County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Queen Anne's County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 95.77% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Somerset County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 99.99% | 0% | 52 weeks |
| St. Mary's County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 3.31% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Talbot County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 100% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Washington County | D1 Moderate Drought | 59.63% | 59.63% | at least 54 weeks |
| Wicomico County | D1 Moderate Drought | 6.52% | 6.52% | 50 weeks |
| Worcester County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 24.26% | 0% | 52 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in Maryland 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 Maryland · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is Maryland in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 17.07% of Maryland is in drought (D1 to D4) and 72.89% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4).
Which counties in Maryland are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in Maryland is D1 Moderate Drought, in Baltimore County, Caroline County, Carroll County, Dorchester County, Frederick County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Washington County and 1 more.
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.