Kansas Water Science Center
Kansas Drought Watch
Droughts affect more people in North America than any other natural hazard. The cost of losses due to drought in the United States averages $8-9 billion every year. In Kansas, the droughts of the 1930s and 1950s resulted in severe economic impacts that included crop losses and damage, high livestock mortality rates, tree loss due to disease, damage to fish habitat due to low streamflows, and increased food prices. Low streamflows during 2000-2006 in Kansas resulted in record low levels at Federal reservoirs and an unprecedented number of administrative decisions made by Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources to curtail water diversions from rivers to maintain State minimum desirable streamflows. In 2006, communities that receive their municipal water supply from alluvial wells connected to the Smoky Hill River experienced water shortages because of low streamflows. Included in this page are tables and maps that summarize drought conditions in Kansas using real-time data from USGS streamgages and publications that describe historical droughts in Kansas.
Drought Information and Publications
For additional information:
U.S. Geological Survey
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, Kansas 66049-3839
Phone (785) 832-3516
The "below normal 7-day average streamflow" map shows the average streamflow conditions for the past 7 days. By averaging over 7 days, the values on the map are more indicative of longer-term streamflow conditions than either the "Real-time streamflow" or the "Daily streamflow" maps. The map depicts below normal 7-day average streamflow conditions as computed at USGS streamgages. The colors represent below normal 7-day average streamflow compared to percentiles of historical below normal 7-day average streamflow for the day of the year. This map represents conditions adjusted for this time of the year. Only streamgages having at least 30 years of record are used. States containing no dots indicate locations where flow data for the current day are temporarily unavailable. During winter months, some states (or parts of states) may have fewer dots than at other times of the year due to ice effects.
Kansas Drought Maps, Graphs, and Tables