As of August 25, 2026, extreme drought conditions cover 44% of Puerto Rico, a rapid escalation from earlier in the year. The lack of rainfall, despite the typical start of the wet season in May, has led to water rationing, crop losses, and disaster declarations at both the local and federal levels.
Puerto Rico’s rainfall has been scarce throughout 2026, causing drought conditions to spread quickly. By late August, approximately three-quarters of the territory was experiencing at least moderate drought. The situation prompted Puerto Rico’s governor to declare a state of emergency in late July, and the U.S. government followed with a drought disaster declaration covering more than two dozen cities and towns.
David Mocko, a senior research scientist in the Hydrological Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, noted that the effects of the hot and dry conditions were visible in multiple data sources. These included satellite estimates of soil moisture, weather measurements, and observations of streamflow and well conditions. Mocko prepared the U.S. Drought Monitor update for August 18, 2026, and, along with Jonathan Case of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, is the first NASA scientist to produce the weekly drought maps.
Just three months prior, in late May 2026, no part of Puerto Rico was classified as being in drought, and less than 20 percent was considered abnormally dry. The current extreme drought zones are concentrated in the eastern and southwestern parts of the main island.
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