NASA’s Earth Observatory just released a series of maps, based in part on data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, showing the extent of current drought in the United States. Maps show current groundwater levels at three depths relative to the long-term average.

The first map shows soil moisture within the top two centimeters of soil:

 

 

The second map shows root-zone moisture levels:

 

And the third map shows deeper groundwater levels compared to the long-term average:

These maps show the extent of drought across much of the western US but also highlight groundwater deficits in wetter areas along the Atlantic coast.