Persistent heat, below-normal precipitation, and a lackluster monsoon have sustained exceptional drought (D4) across portions of the Intermountain West, High Plains, and Southern Plains, with the latest U.S. Drought Monitor (data valid August 18, 2026) showing D4 covering 1.1% of the contiguous U.S., concentrated in western Nebraska, central/western Colorado, northeastern Oregon, far southern Idaho, and parts of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. The National Drought Mitigation Center and NOAA note ongoing degradation in these regions due to elevated evaporative demand and depleted soil moisture and streamflow, while some Midwest and Mid-Atlantic areas saw improvement from recent rainfall. The next USDM release (expected August 27) will incorporate conditions through roughly August 25, with the Climate Prediction Center’s 6–10 day outlook favoring above-normal precipitation along parts of the northern Eastern Seaboard but continued dryness in the South and only moderate monsoon relief in the Southwest. Traders monitoring state-level D4 resolution should track updated model runs and official briefings for any rapid shifts in these core drought zones.
Experimental AI-generated summary referencing Polymarket data. This is not trading advice and plays no role in how this market resolves. · UpdatedExceptional drought (D4) by state — week of August 25, 2026

Alabama
50%

Arizona
50%

Arkansas
50%

California
50%

Colorado
50%

Delaware
50%

Florida
50%

Georgia
50%

Idaho
50%

Illinois
50%

Indiana
50%

Iowa
50%

Kansas
50%

Kentucky
50%

Louisiana
50%

Maryland
50%

Minnesota
50%

Mississippi
50%

Missouri
50%

Montana
50%

Nebraska
79%

Nevada
49%

New Jersey
50%

New Mexico
50%

North Carolina
50%

North Dakota
50%

Ohio
50%

Oklahoma
50%

Oregon
51%

Pennsylvania
50%

South Carolina
51%

South Dakota
50%

Tennessee
50%

Texas
66%

Utah
51%

Virginia
42%

Washington
50%

West Virginia
50%

Wisconsin
50%

Wyoming
50%
$1,046 Vol.

Alabama
50%

Arizona
50%

Arkansas
50%

California
50%

Colorado
50%

Delaware
50%

Florida
50%

Georgia
50%

Idaho
50%

Illinois
50%

Indiana
50%

Iowa
50%

Kansas
50%

Kentucky
50%

Louisiana
50%

Maryland
50%

Minnesota
50%

Mississippi
50%

Missouri
50%

Montana
50%

Nebraska
79%

Nevada
49%

New Jersey
50%

New Mexico
50%

North Carolina
50%

North Dakota
50%

Ohio
50%

Oklahoma
50%

Oregon
51%

Pennsylvania
50%

South Carolina
51%

South Dakota
50%

Tennessee
50%

Texas
66%

Utah
51%

Virginia
42%

Washington
50%

West Virginia
50%

Wisconsin
50%

Wyoming
50%
D4 area below 0.05% is treated as cartographic noise at state borders and resolves "No".
Colorado carries a market in every month of the year, so this market exists for the week valid August 25, 2026. Weeks outside that window have no Colorado market and make no claim about Colorado's drought.
Each USDM release covers the seven-day period ending Tuesday at 8:00 AM ET and is published the following Thursday.
Resolution is based on the first published US Drought Monitor release for the listed week. Subsequent revisions will not be considered; the first published release is final.
The resolution source for this market is the US Drought Monitor at droughtmonitor.unl.edu.
Market Opened: Aug 20, 2026, 9:00 AM ET
Resolution Source
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataTables.aspxResolver
0x65070BE91...D4 area below 0.05% is treated as cartographic noise at state borders and resolves "No".
Colorado carries a market in every month of the year, so this market exists for the week valid August 25, 2026. Weeks outside that window have no Colorado market and make no claim about Colorado's drought.
Each USDM release covers the seven-day period ending Tuesday at 8:00 AM ET and is published the following Thursday.
Resolution is based on the first published US Drought Monitor release for the listed week. Subsequent revisions will not be considered; the first published release is final.
The resolution source for this market is the US Drought Monitor at droughtmonitor.unl.edu.
Resolution Source
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataTables.aspxResolver
0x65070BE91...Persistent heat, below-normal precipitation, and a lackluster monsoon have sustained exceptional drought (D4) across portions of the Intermountain West, High Plains, and Southern Plains, with the latest U.S. Drought Monitor (data valid August 18, 2026) showing D4 covering 1.1% of the contiguous U.S., concentrated in western Nebraska, central/western Colorado, northeastern Oregon, far southern Idaho, and parts of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. The National Drought Mitigation Center and NOAA note ongoing degradation in these regions due to elevated evaporative demand and depleted soil moisture and streamflow, while some Midwest and Mid-Atlantic areas saw improvement from recent rainfall. The next USDM release (expected August 27) will incorporate conditions through roughly August 25, with the Climate Prediction Center’s 6–10 day outlook favoring above-normal precipitation along parts of the northern Eastern Seaboard but continued dryness in the South and only moderate monsoon relief in the Southwest. Traders monitoring state-level D4 resolution should track updated model runs and official briefings for any rapid shifts in these core drought zones.
Experimental AI-generated summary referencing Polymarket data. This is not trading advice and plays no role in how this market resolves. · Updated
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