"Figure 3. Drought Severity in the Southwestern United States, 1895-2023",,
Source: EPA's Climate Change Indicators in the United States: www.epa.gov/climate-indicators,,
"Data source: NOAA, 2024",,
Web update: December 2024,,
Units: Palmer Drought Severity Index,,
,,
Year,Annual avg,9-yr avg
1895,1.848723124,1.454357491
1896,0.704325592,1.087240894
1897,1.191169772,0.615335096
1898,-0.177896074,0.068481638
1899,-0.398169888,-0.481249075
1900,-1.43943109,-0.91817547
1901,-1.074702581,-1.129588379
1902,-1.881902474,-1.01711795
1903,-0.446739216,-0.477309916
1904,-0.797296298,0.521150909
1905,2.317059469,1.735434583
1906,4.006864741,2.620621447
1907,4.188245555,2.719898742
1908,1.51958327,2.088834856
1909,1.55233625,1.230821118
1910,-1.085431891,0.654686544
1911,0.80128516,0.532135331
1912,0.948732737,0.738177313
1913,0.445492295,1.117027899
1914,1.587572952,1.534034083
1915,2.807141499,1.733400982
1916,2.287208121,1.491022793
1917,0.539070524,0.969737306
1918,-0.808631357,0.621084661
1919,0.77315123,0.652325292
1920,1.701147606,0.835873588
1921,0.714061709,0.870530789
1922,0.686290886,0.662053792
1923,1.210942569,0.274884962
1924,-1.242398154,-0.120556206
1925,-0.510453971,-0.323363825
1926,-0.492762308,-0.316912317
1927,0.605327013,-0.292435315
1928,-0.796936916,-0.374550548
1929,-0.564817127,-0.470560567
1930,-0.702994276,-0.453493509
1931,-0.553387241,-0.411962074
1932,0.866402602,-0.600640197
1933,-0.863141526,-1.048757919
1934,-3.655055173,-1.379448054
1935,-0.882598351,-1.245196779
1936,-0.684816238,-0.770267085
1937,-0.022678828,-0.342688824
1938,0.70369808,-0.082455492
1939,-1.160140106,0.319851177
1940,-0.597866157,1.101230262
1941,4.884984813,1.866147158
1942,3.421459255,1.97406468
1943,0.010007621,1.407403039
1944,0.456054917,0.699542235
1945,0.611886578,0.200461861
1946,-0.608121045,-0.074480739
1947,-0.650510381,-0.185929958
1948,0.281493756,-0.261878969
1949,0.427347398,-0.440259286
1950,-1.907325229,-0.646169426
1951,-1.269610937,-0.749403388
1952,0.989783733,-0.895786345
1953,-1.475923658,-1.276391494
1954,-2.71602506,-1.685861697
1955,-2.105281836,-1.688044427
1956,-2.260438447,-1.178332034
1957,0.639707664,-0.592202658
1958,1.613550889,-0.461267347
1959,-2.230706737,-0.782751769
1960,-1.817619606,-1.075944028
1961,-1.00495251,-1.062898779
1962,-0.153529637,-0.885960676
1963,-1.16325095,-0.671282337
1964,-1.443191231,-0.369566639
1965,1.657176155,-0.035345045
1966,-0.362067604,0.168012712
1967,0.401599137,0.233403733
1968,-0.1643157,0.274227216
1969,0.917798225,0.30103461
1970,0.191915796,0.263617145
1971,0.191052953,0.213658911
1972,-0.760376874,0.217540318
1973,2.001500231,0.177427826
1974,-1.015117843,-0.077508197
1975,0.450307438,-0.517383508
1976,-1.597147843,-0.794252242
1977,-2.88982133,-0.51953202
1978,1.323844478,0.199695122
1979,2.489376664,0.760040767
1980,1.273568805,0.895072935
1981,-1.787978301,1.082768947
1982,1.65443679,1.718290287
1983,4.928696701,2.409363762
1984,2.604815929,2.546955337
1985,2.133501979,2.075867251
1986,1.289861638,1.316003664
1987,0.598718623,0.453413822
1988,0.000477773,-0.440896602
1989,-2.244033384,-1.124178177
1990,-2.477697317,-1.245737941
1991,-0.946138483,-0.750530979
1992,0.390327424,-0.034135602
1993,2.169759469,0.449002606
1994,-1.200708229,0.611775524
1995,2.069271907,0.665608987
1996,-0.191439723,0.785567859
1997,0.592223143,0.893277415
1998,3.018517495,0.679829034
1999,-0.152981392,-0.056381564
2000,-1.960781825,-1.107469483
2001,-1.626930468,-2.012175514
2002,-3.933349934,-2.34954351
2003,-3.057329897,-1.929639579
2004,-1.054793797,-1.063041018
2005,2.426282977,-0.493305548
2006,-0.598875412,-0.661832175
2007,-2.390221452,-1.206052096
2008,-1.964000411,-1.453578767
2009,-2.183382055,-1.240337674
2010,0.858079953,-1.051185916
2011,-0.082974035,-1.380631989
2012,-3.463744192,-2.091434973
2013,-3.434007482,-2.574773928
2014,-3.083694396,-2.460226065
2015,-1.657722522,-1.940924967
2016,-0.98425331,-1.46078527
2017,-0.172768349,-1.275555923
2018,-3.09059553,-1.388517359
2019,0.476271518,-1.775933483
2020,-2.550058888,-2.318848577
2021,-4.672334803,-2.553776551
2022,-3.430039665,-2.042220958
2023,0.533624006,-0.99941829