Is North Dakota in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for North Dakota, and the category in each of its 53 counties, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 52.48% of North Dakota is in drought (D1 to D4).
71.21% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4), 31.01% in severe drought or worse (D2 to D4), 6.4% 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, 38 of 53 counties had some drought (D1 or worse); 6 more were abnormally dry (D0) only. D3 Extreme Drought somewhere in 10. D2 Severe Drought somewhere in 17.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | D2 Severe Drought | 0.3% | 21.55% | 12 weeks |
| Barnes County | D3 Extreme Drought | 0.1% | 100% | 7 weeks |
| Benson County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 1.03% | 0% | 12 weeks |
| Billings County | D3 Extreme Drought | 12.13% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Bottineau County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Bowman County | D3 Extreme Drought | 47.75% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Burke County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Burleigh County | D2 Severe Drought | 64.46% | 100% | 8 weeks |
| Cass County | D3 Extreme Drought | 13.38% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Cavalier County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Dickey County | D2 Severe Drought | 7.37% | 38.45% | 6 weeks |
| Divide County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Dunn County | D2 Severe Drought | 82.86% | 99.82% | 11 weeks |
| Eddy County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 89.96% | 0% | 12 weeks |
| Emmons County | D2 Severe Drought | 10.87% | 85.59% | 8 weeks |
| Foster County | D1 Moderate Drought | 5.59% | 5.59% | 11 weeks |
| Golden Valley County | D3 Extreme Drought | 92.51% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Grand Forks County | D1 Moderate Drought | 14.25% | 14.25% | 14 weeks |
| Grant County | D2 Severe Drought | 14.73% | 99.62% | 12 weeks |
| Griggs County | D2 Severe Drought | 8.95% | 95.25% | 11 weeks |
| Hettinger County | D1 Moderate Drought | 31.35% | 31.35% | 17 weeks |
| Kidder County | D1 Moderate Drought | 89.62% | 89.62% | 9 weeks |
| LaMoure County | D3 Extreme Drought | 1.38% | 81.62% | 6 weeks |
| Logan County | D1 Moderate Drought | 21.66% | 21.66% | 9 weeks |
| McHenry County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 13.11% | 0% | 13 weeks |
| McIntosh County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.39% | 0.39% | 9 weeks |
| McKenzie County | D2 Severe Drought | 72.03% | 95.66% | 23 weeks |
| McLean County | D2 Severe Drought | 30.07% | 83.55% | 11 weeks |
| Mercer County | D2 Severe Drought | 48.03% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Morton County | D2 Severe Drought | 95.08% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Mountrail County | D1 Moderate Drought | 9.15% | 9.15% | 11 weeks |
| Nelson County | D1 Moderate Drought | 7.91% | 7.91% | 12 weeks |
| Oliver County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Pembina County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Pierce County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 0.33% | 0% | 12 weeks |
| Ramsey County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 0.04% | 0% | 12 weeks |
| Ransom County | D3 Extreme Drought | 92% | 100% | 7 weeks |
| Renville County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Richland County | D3 Extreme Drought | 82.37% | 100% | 7 weeks |
| Rolette County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Sargent County | D3 Extreme Drought | 27.55% | 100% | 6 weeks |
| Sheridan County | D2 Severe Drought | 39.06% | 83.66% | 11 weeks |
| Sioux County | D2 Severe Drought | 23.6% | 100% | 12 weeks |
| Slope County | D3 Extreme Drought | 34.79% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Stark County | D2 Severe Drought | 18.89% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Steele County | D2 Severe Drought | 66.81% | 100% | 11 weeks |
| Stutsman County | D1 Moderate Drought | 30.88% | 30.88% | 11 weeks |
| Towner County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Traill County | D2 Severe Drought | 58.33% | 100% | 12 weeks |
| Walsh County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Ward County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 22.31% | 0% | 13 weeks |
| Wells County | D1 Moderate Drought | 31.86% | 31.86% | 11 weeks |
| Williams County | D1 Moderate Drought | 11.73% | 11.73% | 24 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in North Dakota 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 North Dakota · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is North Dakota in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 52.48% of North Dakota is in drought (D1 to D4) and 71.21% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4). 31.01% is in D2 Severe Drought or worse.
Which counties in North Dakota are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in North Dakota is D3 Extreme Drought, in Barnes County, Billings County, Bowman County, Cass County, Golden Valley County, LaMoure County, Ransom County, Richland County and 2 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.