The share of Puerto Rico under drought fell for a second reporting period, from 54.5% to 47.9% of the territory, according to the Drought Monitor report released Thursday with data valid as of October 6, 2026. The 6.6-percentage-point drop compares with the previous report, dated September 29, when more than half the territory was under some drought category.
Extreme drought dipped slightly from 9.3% to 9.1%, and severe drought fell from 19.7% to 19.1%. The largest change was in moderate drought, which went from 25.6% to 19.7% of the territory, a 5.9-point difference. Areas classified as abnormally dry rose from 11% to 16.4%; that category describes dryness that has not yet reached the threshold for moderate drought.
The latest map shows extreme drought concentrated mainly along parts of the south and southwest coast, while severe drought extends across areas of the south and the interior. Moderate drought affects parts of the center, north and east, while broad zones of the west and northwest are outside any drought or abnormally dry classification. Vieques remains in severe drought, and Culebra has abnormally dry conditions in part of its territory.
No part of Puerto Rico is in exceptional drought, the most intense category. Despite the improvement, nearly half of the territory still experiences some level of drought. The Drought Monitor is updated weekly using meteorological and hydrological assessments by federal agencies and climate specialists.