TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Droughts across much of the west are approaching record levels this summer, with big implications for water usage and wildfire risk.
Maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor -- a federal partnership of agencies and organizations charged with tracking drought conditions across the country -- show just how dry things have gotten in the West this year.
Animated Map: Week-by-week drought conditions for the U.S.
![](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7d96255/2147483647/strip/true/crop/776x600+0+0/resize/776x600!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F40%2Ff32d8cf54e27ad3079085d6efb4a%2Fdrought-gif.gif)
(credit: U.S. Drought Monitor)
Map: Drought conditions June 2020 (left) vs. June 2021 (right)
![](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/307f992/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x744+0+0/resize/1071x744!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F92%2F09f4f938411dbc4439ac911d9644%2Fdrought-conditions-year-over-year.jpg)
(credit: U.S. Drought Monitor)
Map: Change in drought conditions in the western U.S. over the last 52 weeks
![](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a119769/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3300x2550+0+0/resize/1280x989!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7e%2F82%2F6b18b9b44983b539a68140d5848c%2Fwest-change-drought.jpg)
(credit: U.S. Drought Monitor)
Animated Map: Lake Mead satellite imagery (1984-2020)
You can view more maps on the U.S. Drought Monitor's website.