Counties with the worst droughts in Montana

About one-fifth of the continental United States is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Storms during this past winter brought heavy (in some areas, record-setting) rainfall and flooding to California, offering the state an expected two-year reprieve from widespread droughts that covered nearly 100% of the state from 2020 to 2022. But in other parts of the country, especially dry conditions continue. West Virginia is currently the state with the most widespread drought, covering 90.5% of the state's area.

In periods of drought, levels...