Global Soil Moisture & Drought Watch

Choose a daily NOAA CPC product

Percentile compares modeled soil moisture with the 1979–2019 historical record.

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How to read it

Pan and zoom the official CPC product. The NOAA image includes its own date, color legend and units. Use those embedded labels rather than estimating values from this page.

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Model and resolution

CPC estimates soil moisture with a one-layer hydrological model driven by observed precipitation and temperature on a global 0.5° grid. The model uses a spatially constant 760 mm maximum holding capacity.

The percentile is calculated against CPC's 1979–2019 modeled record. Anomaly is departure from CPC climatology; check the official product legend for the active baseline and units.

Use limits

This is modeled land-surface context—not an in-ground sensor reading, parcel analysis, crop-loss estimate, drought declaration, forecast, fire prediction, or safety guidance. Rapid drying can contribute to flash drought, but one image alone does not establish onset, cause, impact, or severity.

Sources

NOAA CPC model documentation
Official soil-moisture percentile products
Source and use notes

Images load directly from NOAA CPC without credentials. Product availability and date are controlled by NOAA.