Desert showing trees in the distance
  1. Learn More
  2. Determining Risk
  3. Expected Annual Loss
  4. Drought

Drought

A Drought is a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time resulting in a water shortage.

In the National Risk Index, a Drought Risk Index score and rating represent a community's relative risk for Droughts when compared to the rest of the United States. A Drought Expected Annual Loss score and rating represent a community's relative level of expected agriculture loss each year due to Droughts when compared to the rest of the United States.

A map of the United States colored by Drought Risk Index ratings. Drought risk is possible across the United States except the Great Lakes region. Drought is most prevalent in western Kansas, northwestern Texas, western Oklahoma, eastern New Mexico, eastern Arizona, northern Nevada, and central and northern California. For full results, see the National Risk Index Map webpage.

Drought Exposure

A Drought exposure value represents a community's agriculture (crop only) value (in dollars) exposed to Drought.

Drought Annualized Frequency

A Drought annualized frequency value represents the average number of recorded Drought hazard occurrences (event-days) per year over the period of record (21.8 years).

Drought Historic Loss Ratio

A Drought historic loss ratio is the representative percentage of the exposed agriculture value expected to be lost due to a Drought hazard occurrence.

Drought Processing Methodology

For comprehensive details about the Drought processing methodology, see the National Risk Index Technical Documentation.

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