Is Montana in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for Montana, and the category in each of its 56 counties, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 20.52% of Montana is in drought (D1 to D4).
39.84% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4), 11.36% in severe drought or worse (D2 to D4), 4.93% 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, 25 of 56 counties had some drought (D1 or worse); 16 more were abnormally dry (D0) only. D3 Extreme Drought somewhere in 6. D2 Severe Drought somewhere in 5.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaverhead County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 14.24% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Big Horn County | D3 Extreme Drought | 0.01% | 89.37% | 6 weeks |
| Blaine County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 87.86% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Broadwater County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 1.15% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Carbon County | D2 Severe Drought | 20.81% | 73.9% | 28 weeks |
| Carter County | D3 Extreme Drought | 73.67% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Cascade County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 1.87% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Chouteau County | None | 0% | 1 week | |
| Custer County | D3 Extreme Drought | 19.86% | 86.68% | 9 weeks |
| Daniels County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Dawson County | D2 Severe Drought | 43.76% | 87.29% | 24 weeks |
| Deer Lodge County | None | 0% | 2 weeks | |
| Fallon County | D3 Extreme Drought | 70.24% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Fergus County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.07% | 0.07% | at least 54 weeks |
| Flathead County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 2.44% | 0% | 11 weeks |
| Gallatin County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 27.44% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Garfield County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 0.08% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Glacier County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Golden Valley County | D1 Moderate Drought | 35.58% | 35.58% | 37 weeks |
| Granite County | None | 0% | 2 weeks | |
| Hill County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 10.98% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Jefferson County | None | 0% | 1 week | |
| Judith Basin County | D1 Moderate Drought | 16.44% | 16.44% | at least 54 weeks |
| Lake County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 6.36% | 0% | 10 weeks |
| Lewis and Clark County | None | 0% | 2 weeks | |
| Liberty County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Lincoln County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 27.91% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Madison County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 10.87% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| McCone County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.69% | 0.69% | 35 weeks |
| Meagher County | D1 Moderate Drought | 30.49% | 30.49% | at least 54 weeks |
| Mineral County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.12% | 0.12% | 23 weeks |
| Missoula County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 1.1% | 0% | 17 weeks |
| Musselshell County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 2.67% | 0% | 48 weeks |
| Park County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.21% | 0.21% | 37 weeks |
| Petroleum County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 1.49% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Phillips County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 34.58% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Pondera County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Powder River County | D3 Extreme Drought | 84.08% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Powell County | None | 0% | 2 weeks | |
| Prairie County | D2 Severe Drought | 52.63% | 67.44% | 24 weeks |
| Ravalli County | None | 0% | 6 weeks | |
| Richland County | D2 Severe Drought | 26.67% | 62.68% | 24 weeks |
| Roosevelt County | D1 Moderate Drought | 1.4% | 1.4% | 35 weeks |
| Rosebud County | D2 Severe Drought | 9.95% | 38.41% | 21 weeks |
| Sanders County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.09% | 0.09% | 23 weeks |
| Sheridan County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 8.83% | 0% | at least 54 weeks |
| Silver Bow County | None | 0% | 1 week | |
| Stillwater County | D1 Moderate Drought | 40.29% | 40.29% | 37 weeks |
| Sweet Grass County | D1 Moderate Drought | 69.94% | 69.94% | 38 weeks |
| Teton County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Toole County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Treasure County | D1 Moderate Drought | 8.11% | 8.11% | 33 weeks |
| Valley County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Wheatland County | D1 Moderate Drought | 98.46% | 98.46% | 38 weeks |
| Wibaux County | D3 Extreme Drought | 15.06% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Yellowstone County | D1 Moderate Drought | 7.51% | 7.51% | 37 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in Montana 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 Montana · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is Montana in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 20.52% of Montana is in drought (D1 to D4) and 39.84% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4). 11.36% is in D2 Severe Drought or worse.
Which counties in Montana are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in Montana is D3 Extreme Drought, in Big Horn County, Carter County, Custer County, Fallon County, Powder River County, Wibaux 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.