Western water flow is weaker than normal in most rivers and streams

The drought across the Western United States has left hundreds of rivers and streams with below-average streamflows — the amount of water flowing past a particular point — for this time of year. More than 50% of the western monitoring stations reported lighter-than-usual flows.

Preliminary 7-day average streamflows as of compared to historical data for each site on the same day. Sites with no data or fewer than 30 years of comparison data omitted. “Normal” means current readings are in at least the 25th percentile compared to past values. “Much below normal” means the current reading is less than in the 10th percentile.

Source: US Geologic Survey

Graphic: John Keefe, CNN