– Share of state experiencing drought conditions (20-year average): 16 sq. mi. (25.8% of land area); 155,375 people (25.8% of population)

— Moderate drought: 8 sq. mi. (14.0% of land area); 84,251 people (14.0% of population)

— Severe drought: 2 sq. mi. (3.9% of land area); 23,484 people (3.9% of population)

— Extreme drought: 1 sq. mi. (0.9% of land area); 5,415 people (0.9% of population)

— Exceptional drought: zero sq. mi.; no people

Current conditions in D.C. don’t indicate drought, and weather forecasts call for more than adequate rainfall. But in 2019, the district experienced what’s known as a flash drought. Thanks to an unusually hot and dry September, D.C. went from normal conditions to drought conditions much more rapidly than usual.