The United States experienced its worst spring drought on record last month, with more than 60% of land in the lower 48 states experiencing moderate drought or worse.
The drought has sparked alarm among farmers and environmentalists across the country, who warn that food supplies may be impacted and wildfires may blight areas where they are not usually seen.
The dry conditions are concentrated in the southeast, where moderate to exceptional drought covered 99.81% of the region at its peak in April, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Severe to exceptional drought covered more than 80% of the region, the highest level in April since the monitor began collecting data in 2000.
The drought has been building for some time. Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina experienced record dry conditions between September 2025 and March 2026, with records dating back to 1895.
While heavy rainfall in the South last week eased conditions in the Deep South and Texas, the U.S. Drought Monitor said that “drought conditions remained mostly unchanged across southeastern Alabama, Georgia and northwestern Florida, where soil moisture and streamflows remain extremely low.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that January through March was the driest on record for the continental U.S., with precipitation overall less than 70% of average, and these dry conditions have expanded to nearly the largest extent of drought since November 2022.
Major crops at risk
The drought is threatening to have a severe impact on major agricultural crops, from wheat farmers in Kansas to vegetable farmers in Georgia.
The poor conditions and low yields come at a time when farmers are already struggling due to tariffs and the rising cost of fertilizer resulting from the war in Iran.
“We had to stop planting because it’s so dry,” Bain said, adding that the costs of his farm have gone up in the wake of the fuel crisis sparked by the Iran war. “It’s very costly per day,…
