---
type: "firecrawl-provider"
description: "U.S. Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center) for a piece of ground: the current map's drought categories over a GeoJSON geometry, weekly county history since 2000, the 2000-2020 spatial archive and the map calendar. Public, anonymous NDMC ArcGIS layers and statistics services."
use_when: "U.S. Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center) for a piece of ground: the current map's drought categories over a GeoJSON geometry, weekly county history since 2000, the 2000-2020 spatial archive and the map calendar. Public, anonymous NDMC ArcGIS layers and statistics services."
categories: "Real estate"
capabilities: 4
credits_per_call: 5
---
# U.S. Drought Monitor on Firecrawl Alexandria

U.S. Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center) for a piece of ground: the current map's drought categories over a GeoJSON geometry, weekly county history since 2000, the 2000-2020 spatial archive and the map calendar. Public, anonymous NDMC ArcGIS layers and statistics services.

- Categories: Real estate
- Category index: [Real estate category](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/categories/real-estate)
- Provider key: `droughtmonitor-unl-edu`
- Access: Firecrawl credits
- Cost: 5 credits per call

## More

- [Human guide](https://firecrawl.dev/app/alexandria/droughtmonitor-unl-edu)
- [OpenAPI spec](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/openapi.json)

## Capabilities

- [Drought current](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_current): Share of a geometry in each U.S. Drought Monitor category (None, D0 abnormally dry to D4 exceptional drought) on the current weekly map, with the counties it touches and their county-level shares. Exact when the geometry sits inside one category polygon (`spatial_precision: polygon`); when a category boundary crosses it, shares are estimated from up to 16 interior sample points (`grid_cell`). A Point gets the category at that point.
- [Drought history](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_history): Weekly U.S. Drought Monitor statistics for every county a geometry touches: percent of county area in None/D0-D4 and the Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI), one row per map week, from 2000-01-04 to the current map. `statistics` picks `categorical` (exclusive classes, sum to 100; default) or `traditional` (cumulative: d0 = D0 or worse). One page covers up to 53 weeks; `next_cursor` continues a longer window.
- [Drought history spatial](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_history_spatial): Weekly drought categories that touched a geometry between 2000-01-04 and 2020-11-17, from NDMC's USDM_archive polygon layer (exact against the archived map polygons, `spatial_precision: polygon`). Weeks with no entry had no D0-D4 polygon over the geometry. One page covers up to 53 weeks; `next_cursor` continues. For weeks after 2020-11-17 use drought_history (county statistics).
- [Drought map dates](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_map_dates): The U.S. Drought Monitor calendar and national summary: the current map date (Tuesday), release date (Thursday), valid period, the national area and percent in each category from the USDM_current layer, and the list of all weekly map dates back to 2000-01-04 (newest first, `limit` of them).

## 1. Choose this provider when

U.S. Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center) for a piece of ground: the current map's drought categories over a GeoJSON geometry, weekly county history since 2000, the 2000-2020 spatial archive and the map calendar. Public, anonymous NDMC ArcGIS layers and statistics services.

## 2. Minimal request

Call `POST https://api.firecrawl.dev/v2/scrape` with `{ alexandria: { provider, capability, options } }`. For a batch, send `{ alexandria: [...] }` with up to 10 calls.

```json
{
  "provider": "droughtmonitor-unl-edu",
  "capability": "drought/drought_current",
  "options": {
    "geometry": {
      "coordinates": [
        [
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ]
        ]
      ],
      "type": "Polygon"
    }
  }
}
```

## 3. Add provider options

Use only the options needed for the task:

- `geometry` (object, required): GeoJSON geometry (RFC 7946, WGS84, positions are [longitude, latitude]; altitude ignored): a Point, Polygon, MultiPolygon, or a Feature wrapping one. Rings must be closed. FeatureCollection, LineString and GeometryCollection are refused (`invalid_input`, one place per call). Geometries crossing the antimeridian, with more than 1000 vertices, or above the function's area cap are refused with code `too_large` or `antimeridian`. A geometry outside the U.S. Drought Monitor's coverage (United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Pacific islands) fails with `outside_coverage`. Example: `{}`

## 4. Request through your preferred interface

### JavaScript

```javascript
const result = await firecrawl.scrape({
  alexandria: {
    provider: "droughtmonitor-unl-edu",
    capability: "drought/drought_current",
    options: {
      geometry: {
        coordinates: [
          [
            [
              -100.1,
              35.26,
            ],
            [
              -100.08,
              35.26,
            ],
            [
              -100.08,
              35.28,
            ],
            [
              -100.1,
              35.28,
            ],
            [
              -100.1,
              35.26,
            ],
          ],
        ],
        type: "Polygon",
      },
    },
  },
});
```

### Python

```python
result = firecrawl.scrape_alexandria({
  "provider": "droughtmonitor-unl-edu",
  "capability": "drought/drought_current",
  "options": {
    "geometry": {
      "coordinates": [
        [
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ]
        ]
      ],
      "type": "Polygon"
    }
  }
})
```

### cURL

```sh
curl https://api.firecrawl.dev/v2/scrape \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FIRECRAWL_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "alexandria": {
    "provider": "droughtmonitor-unl-edu",
    "capability": "drought/drought_current",
    "options": {
      "geometry": {
        "coordinates": [
          [
            [
              -100.1,
              35.26
            ],
            [
              -100.08,
              35.26
            ],
            [
              -100.08,
              35.28
            ],
            [
              -100.1,
              35.28
            ],
            [
              -100.1,
              35.26
            ]
          ]
        ],
        "type": "Polygon"
      }
    }
  }
}'
```

### CLI

```sh
firecrawl scrape 'droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_current' \
  --options '{"geometry":{"coordinates":[[[-100.1,35.26],[-100.08,35.26],[-100.08,35.28],[-100.1,35.28],[-100.1,35.26]]],"type":"Polygon"}}'
```


### MCP

Call the FCX MCP retrieve tool with this object:

```json
{
  "provider": "droughtmonitor-unl-edu",
  "capability": "drought/drought_current",
  "options": {
    "geometry": {
      "coordinates": [
        [
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ]
        ]
      ],
      "type": "Polygon"
    }
  }
}
```

Ask for only the returned fields needed by the task.

## 5. Full request shape

```json
{
  "provider": "droughtmonitor-unl-edu",
  "capability": "drought/drought_current",
  "options": {
    "geometry": {
      "coordinates": [
        [
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.26
          ],
          [
            -100.08,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.28
          ],
          [
            -100.1,
            35.26
          ]
        ]
      ],
      "type": "Polygon"
    }
  }
}
```

## 6. Response data

The response includes `success`, `provider`, `capability`, `creditsCost` and `data`. This example shows the provider payload in `data`:

```json
{
  "categories": [
    {
      "code": "D3",
      "dm": 3,
      "label": "Extreme Drought",
      "percent": 100
    }
  ],
  "counties": [
    {
      "fips": "48483",
      "name": "Wheeler County",
      "state": "TX",
      "state_fips": "48",
      "statistics": {
        "d0": 0,
        "d1": 0,
        "d2": 27.55,
        "d3": 72.45,
        "d4": 0,
        "map_date": "2026-09-29",
        "none": 0
      }
    }
  ],
  "dominant": "D3",
  "in_drought": true,
  "location": {
    "area_m2": 4037899,
    "bbox": [
      -100.1,
      35.26,
      -100.08,
      35.28
    ],
    "centroid": [
      -100.09,
      35.27
    ],
    "kind": "Polygon"
  },
  "map_date": "2026-09-29",
  "method": "within",
  "missing": [],
  "observed_at_ms": 1790882272449,
  "release_date": "2026-10-01",
  "sample_points": null,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "USDM_current (NDMC ArcGIS)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:17:51Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/USDM_current/FeatureServer/0"
    },
    {
      "name": "Counties (NDMC ArcGIS)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:17:51Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/Counties/FeatureServer/0"
    },
    {
      "name": "USDM county statistics (usdmdataservices.unl.edu)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:17:51Z",
      "url": "https://usdmdataservices.unl.edu/api/CountyStatistics/GetDroughtSeverityStatisticsByAreaPercent"
    }
  ],
  "spatial_precision": "polygon",
  "valid_end": "2026-10-05",
  "valid_start": "2026-09-29",
  "worst": "D3"
}
```

## API reference-derived contract

The following capability contract is generated from the same normalized Alexandria API reference exposed in the API spec.

### Drought current

- Capability: `drought/drought_current`
- Description: Share of a geometry in each U.S. Drought Monitor category (None, D0 abnormally dry to D4 exceptional drought) on the current weekly map, with the counties it touches and their county-level shares. Exact when the geometry sits inside one category polygon (`spatial_precision: polygon`); when a category boundary crosses it, shares are estimated from up to 16 interior sample points (`grid_cell`). A Point gets the category at that point.
- Instructions: What share of this farm, paddock or parcel is in each drought category right now; is this parcel in drought.
- Cost: 5 credits per call
- Capability file: [Drought current](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_current)

Accepted options:
- `geometry` (object, required): GeoJSON geometry (RFC 7946, WGS84, positions are [longitude, latitude]; altitude ignored): a Point, Polygon, MultiPolygon, or a Feature wrapping one. Rings must be closed. FeatureCollection, LineString and GeometryCollection are refused (`invalid_input`, one place per call). Geometries crossing the antimeridian, with more than 1000 vertices, or above the function's area cap are refused with code `too_large` or `antimeridian`. A geometry outside the U.S. Drought Monitor's coverage (United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Pacific islands) fails with `outside_coverage`. Example: `{}`

Response schema example:
```json
{
  "categories": [
    {
      "code": "D3",
      "dm": 3,
      "label": "Extreme Drought",
      "percent": 100
    }
  ],
  "counties": [
    {
      "fips": "48483",
      "name": "Wheeler County",
      "state": "TX",
      "state_fips": "48",
      "statistics": {
        "d0": 0,
        "d1": 0,
        "d2": 27.55,
        "d3": 72.45,
        "d4": 0,
        "map_date": "2026-09-29",
        "none": 0
      }
    }
  ],
  "dominant": "D3",
  "in_drought": true,
  "location": {
    "area_m2": 4037899,
    "bbox": [
      -100.1,
      35.26,
      -100.08,
      35.28
    ],
    "centroid": [
      -100.09,
      35.27
    ],
    "kind": "Polygon"
  },
  "map_date": "2026-09-29",
  "method": "within",
  "missing": [],
  "observed_at_ms": 1790882272449,
  "release_date": "2026-10-01",
  "sample_points": null,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "USDM_current (NDMC ArcGIS)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:17:51Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/USDM_current/FeatureServer/0"
    },
    {
      "name": "Counties (NDMC ArcGIS)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:17:51Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/Counties/FeatureServer/0"
    },
    {
      "name": "USDM county statistics (usdmdataservices.unl.edu)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:17:51Z",
      "url": "https://usdmdataservices.unl.edu/api/CountyStatistics/GetDroughtSeverityStatisticsByAreaPercent"
    }
  ],
  "spatial_precision": "polygon",
  "valid_end": "2026-10-05",
  "valid_start": "2026-09-29",
  "worst": "D3"
}
```

### Drought history

- Capability: `drought/drought_history`
- Description: Weekly U.S. Drought Monitor statistics for every county a geometry touches: percent of county area in None/D0-D4 and the Drought Severity and Coverage Index (DSCI), one row per map week, from 2000-01-04 to the current map. `statistics` picks `categorical` (exclusive classes, sum to 100; default) or `traditional` (cumulative: d0 = D0 or worse). One page covers up to 53 weeks; `next_cursor` continues a longer window.
- Instructions: How drought in the county around this paddock changed week by week since a date; county-level drought history for a parcel.
- Cost: 5 credits per call
- Capability file: [Drought history](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_history)

Accepted options:
- `cursor` (string): `next_cursor` from the previous page; replaces `start`. Pattern: ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$. Example: `next_cursor`
- `end` (string): Last map week to include, YYYY-MM-DD. Default: today. Pattern: ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$. Example: `<end>`
- `geometry` (object, required): GeoJSON geometry (RFC 7946, WGS84, positions are [longitude, latitude]; altitude ignored): a Point, Polygon, MultiPolygon, or a Feature wrapping one. Rings must be closed. FeatureCollection, LineString and GeometryCollection are refused (`invalid_input`, one place per call). Geometries crossing the antimeridian, with more than 1000 vertices, or above the function's area cap are refused with code `too_large` or `antimeridian`. A geometry outside the U.S. Drought Monitor's coverage (United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Pacific islands) fails with `outside_coverage`. Example: `{}`
- `start` (string): First map week to include, YYYY-MM-DD. Default: 91 days before `end`. Pattern: ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$. Example: `<start>`
- `statistics` (string): statistics Example: `categorical`

Response schema example:
```json
{
  "counties": [
    {
      "fips": "29131",
      "name": "Miller County",
      "state": "MO",
      "state_fips": "29",
      "weeks": [
        {
          "d0": 0,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-06-30",
          "none": 100,
          "valid_end": "2026-07-06",
          "valid_start": "2026-06-30"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-07-07",
          "none": 100,
          "valid_end": "2026-07-13",
          "valid_start": "2026-07-07"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-07-14",
          "none": 100,
          "valid_end": "2026-07-20",
          "valid_start": "2026-07-14"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-07-21",
          "none": 100,
          "valid_end": "2026-07-27",
          "valid_start": "2026-07-21"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-07-28",
          "none": 100,
          "valid_end": "2026-08-03",
          "valid_start": "2026-07-28"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0.25,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-08-04",
          "none": 99.75,
          "valid_end": "2026-08-10",
          "valid_start": "2026-08-04"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0.25,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-08-11",
          "none": 99.75,
          "valid_end": "2026-08-17",
          "valid_start": "2026-08-11"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0.25,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-08-18",
          "none": 99.75,
          "valid_end": "2026-08-24",
          "valid_start": "2026-08-18"
        },
        {
          "d0": 0.28,
          "d1": 0,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 0,
          "map_date": "2026-08-25",
          "none": 99.72,
          "valid_end": "2026-08-31",
          "valid_start": "2026-08-25"
        },
        {
          "d0": 18.36,
          "d1": 0.28,
          "d2": 0,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 19,
          "map_date": "2026-09-01",
          "none": 81.36,
          "valid_end": "2026-09-07",
          "valid_start": "2026-09-01"
        },
        {
          "d0": 81.36,
          "d1": 18.36,
          "d2": 0.28,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 119,
          "map_date": "2026-09-08",
          "none": 0,
          "valid_end": "2026-09-14",
          "valid_start": "2026-09-08"
        },
        {
          "d0": 72.5,
          "d1": 18.36,
          "d2": 0.28,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 110,
          "map_date": "2026-09-15",
          "none": 8.86,
          "valid_end": "2026-09-21",
          "valid_start": "2026-09-15"
        },
        {
          "d0": 72.5,
          "d1": 18.36,
          "d2": 0.28,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 110,
          "map_date": "2026-09-22",
          "none": 8.86,
          "valid_end": "2026-09-28",
          "valid_start": "2026-09-22"
        },
        {
          "d0": 62.24,
          "d1": 18.36,
          "d2": 0.28,
          "d3": 0,
          "d4": 0,
          "dsci": 100,
          "map_date": "2026-09-29",
          "none": 19.12,
          "valid_end": "2026-10-05",
          "valid_start": "2026-09-29"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "end": "2026-09-30",
  "location": {
    "area_m2": 972661,
    "bbox": [
      -92.41,
      38.12,
      -92.4,
      38.13
    ],
    "centroid": [
      -92.405,
      38.125
    ],
    "kind": "Polygon"
  },
  "missing": [],
  "next_cursor": null,
  "observed_at_ms": 1790882286029,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Counties (NDMC ArcGIS)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:05Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/Counties/FeatureServer/0"
    },
    {
      "name": "USDM county statistics (usdmdataservices.unl.edu)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:05Z",
      "url": "https://usdmdataservices.unl.edu/api/CountyStatistics/GetDroughtSeverityStatisticsByAreaPercent"
    },
    {
      "name": "USDM county DSCI (usdmdataservices.unl.edu)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:05Z",
      "url": "https://usdmdataservices.unl.edu/api/CountyStatistics/GetDSCI"
    }
  ],
  "spatial_precision": "county",
  "start": "2026-07-01",
  "statistics": "categorical",
  "week_count": 14
}
```

### Drought history spatial

- Capability: `drought/drought_history_spatial`
- Description: Weekly drought categories that touched a geometry between 2000-01-04 and 2020-11-17, from NDMC's USDM_archive polygon layer (exact against the archived map polygons, `spatial_precision: polygon`). Weeks with no entry had no D0-D4 polygon over the geometry. One page covers up to 53 weeks; `next_cursor` continues. For weeks after 2020-11-17 use drought_history (county statistics).
- Instructions: Historical drought over a specific parcel before 2021, finer than county statistics.
- Cost: 5 credits per call
- Capability file: [Drought history spatial](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_history_spatial)

Accepted options:
- `cursor` (string): `next_cursor` from the previous page; replaces `start`. Pattern: ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$. Example: `next_cursor`
- `end` (string, required): Last map week, YYYY-MM-DD, on or before 2020-11-17. Pattern: ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$. Example: `<end>`
- `geometry` (object, required): GeoJSON geometry (RFC 7946, WGS84, positions are [longitude, latitude]; altitude ignored): a Point, Polygon, MultiPolygon, or a Feature wrapping one. Rings must be closed. FeatureCollection, LineString and GeometryCollection are refused (`invalid_input`, one place per call). Geometries crossing the antimeridian, with more than 1000 vertices, or above the function's area cap are refused with code `too_large` or `antimeridian`. A geometry outside the U.S. Drought Monitor's coverage (United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Pacific islands) fails with `outside_coverage`. Example: `{}`
- `start` (string, required): First map week, YYYY-MM-DD, on or after 2000-01-04. Pattern: ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$. Example: `<start>`

Response schema example:
```json
{
  "counties": [
    {
      "fips": "48483",
      "name": "Wheeler County",
      "state": "TX",
      "state_fips": "48"
    }
  ],
  "end": "2020-07-01",
  "location": {
    "area_m2": 4037899,
    "bbox": [
      -100.1,
      35.26,
      -100.08,
      35.28
    ],
    "centroid": [
      -100.09,
      35.27
    ],
    "kind": "Polygon"
  },
  "missing": [],
  "next_cursor": null,
  "note": "weeks with no entry had no drought category touching the geometry; the archive lists D0–D4 polygons only",
  "observed_at_ms": 1790882290462,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "USDM_archive (NDMC ArcGIS, 2000-01-04 to 2020-11-17)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:10Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/USDM_archive/FeatureServer/0"
    },
    {
      "name": "Counties (NDMC ArcGIS)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:10Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/Counties/FeatureServer/0"
    }
  ],
  "spatial_precision": "polygon",
  "start": "2020-06-01",
  "week_count": 5,
  "weeks": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "code": "D1",
          "dm": 1,
          "label": "Moderate Drought"
        }
      ],
      "map_date": "2020-06-02",
      "release_date": "2020-06-04",
      "release_id": 1103,
      "valid_end": "2020-06-08",
      "valid_start": "2020-06-02",
      "worst": "D1"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "code": "D1",
          "dm": 1,
          "label": "Moderate Drought"
        }
      ],
      "map_date": "2020-06-09",
      "release_date": "2020-06-11",
      "release_id": 1104,
      "valid_end": "2020-06-15",
      "valid_start": "2020-06-09",
      "worst": "D1"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "code": "D1",
          "dm": 1,
          "label": "Moderate Drought"
        }
      ],
      "map_date": "2020-06-16",
      "release_date": "2020-06-18",
      "release_id": 1105,
      "valid_end": "2020-06-22",
      "valid_start": "2020-06-16",
      "worst": "D1"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "code": "D1",
          "dm": 1,
          "label": "Moderate Drought"
        }
      ],
      "map_date": "2020-06-23",
      "release_date": "2020-06-25",
      "release_id": 1106,
      "valid_end": "2020-06-29",
      "valid_start": "2020-06-23",
      "worst": "D1"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "code": "D1",
          "dm": 1,
          "label": "Moderate Drought"
        }
      ],
      "map_date": "2020-06-30",
      "release_date": "2020-07-01",
      "release_id": 1107,
      "valid_end": "2020-07-06",
      "valid_start": "2020-06-30",
      "worst": "D1"
    }
  ]
}
```

### Drought map dates

- Capability: `drought/drought_map_dates`
- Description: The U.S. Drought Monitor calendar and national summary: the current map date (Tuesday), release date (Thursday), valid period, the national area and percent in each category from the USDM_current layer, and the list of all weekly map dates back to 2000-01-04 (newest first, `limit` of them).
- Instructions: Which map week is current, which weekly dates exist for history queries, national drought totals.
- Cost: 5 credits per call
- Capability file: [Drought map dates](https://firecrawl.dev/alexandria/agents/providers/droughtmonitor-unl-edu/drought/drought_map_dates)

Accepted options:
- `limit` (number): How many map dates to list, newest first. Example: `52`

Response schema example:
```json
{
  "current_map_date": "2026-09-29",
  "layer_map_date": "2026-09-29",
  "map_dates": [
    "2026-09-29",
    "2026-09-22",
    "2026-09-15",
    "2026-09-08"
  ],
  "national": [
    {
      "catagorical_perct": 66.42,
      "code": "D0",
      "cumulative_perct": 16.64,
      "dm": 0,
      "dm_area": 598869.4777772926,
      "label": "Abnormally Dry"
    },
    {
      "catagorical_perct": 49.78,
      "code": "D1",
      "cumulative_perct": 21.54,
      "dm": 1,
      "dm_area": 775225.6928418967,
      "label": "Moderate Drought"
    },
    {
      "catagorical_perct": 28.25,
      "code": "D2",
      "cumulative_perct": 18.61,
      "dm": 2,
      "dm_area": 669938.6468951481,
      "label": "Severe Drought"
    },
    {
      "catagorical_perct": 9.64,
      "code": "D3",
      "cumulative_perct": 8.31,
      "dm": 3,
      "dm_area": 299193.6672794585,
      "label": "Extreme Drought"
    },
    {
      "catagorical_perct": 1.33,
      "code": "D4",
      "cumulative_perct": 1.33,
      "dm": 4,
      "dm_area": 47736.22732999241,
      "label": "Exceptional Drought"
    }
  ],
  "newest_map_date": "2026-09-29",
  "observed_at_ms": 1790882295036,
  "oldest_map_date": "2000-01-04",
  "release_date": "2026-10-01",
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "DateThisWeek (droughtmonitor.unl.edu page method)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:14Z",
      "url": "https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Maps/Animations.aspx/DateThisWeek"
    },
    {
      "name": "ReturnDMWeeks (droughtmonitor.unl.edu page method)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:14Z",
      "url": "https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/GISData.aspx/ReturnDMWeeks"
    },
    {
      "name": "USDM_current (NDMC ArcGIS)",
      "observed_at": "2026-10-01T19:18:14Z",
      "url": "https://services5.arcgis.com/0OTVzJS4K09zlixn/ArcGIS/rest/services/USDM_current/FeatureServer/0"
    }
  ],
  "total_map_dates": 1396,
  "valid_end": "2026-10-05",
  "valid_start": "2026-09-29"
}
```