--- title: "County drought percentages for landscape account review" description: "Read cumulative and categorical county drought percentages, preserve source dates, and prepare site questions without inferring conditions on a property." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/county-drought-percentages-landscape-account-review" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # County drought percentages: read cumulative categories before reviewing landscape accounts Before putting a landscape account on a drought review list, check what the percentage measures. A D2 column can mean D2 alone or D2 and every more severe category. Those readings produce different questions for the account manager. Start with the source label, county identifier, and observation date. Then decide which company records deserve review. Keep the county statistic separate from soil moisture, plant condition, service responsibility, and warranty decisions at a particular property. The [tree services and landscaping overview](/for/tree-services-and-landscaping) covers the wider office handoff. The [public-signal guide](/intelligence/tree-services-and-landscaping) explains how county context can join an account review queue. Here, the task is narrower: understand the number before using it in that queue. ## Read the measure before the category The U.S. Drought Monitor distinguishes cumulative statistics from categorical statistics. Categorical values describe individual categories. Cumulative values include the selected category and the more severe categories. Its statistics can measure area or population, in absolute or proportional terms. [USDM statistics explanation](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/About/AbouttheData/StatisticsExplanation.aspx). For this worksheet, choose **percent of county area**. Put that phrase above every comparison. Do not abbreviate it to “affected percentage” where a colleague could read it as a percentage of plants, customers, or properties. Keep the measure unchanged between weeks. If a colleague supplies population percentages, hold that comparison until the intended area values are available. A similar column heading does not make two measures interchangeable. Write the interpretation in ordinary words beside the source column. For example, label a cumulative D2 value “county area in D2 or worse.” Label a categorical D2 value “county area in D2 only.” Keep the original field name available too. ## Work through one synthetic county The following values are invented for arithmetic. They describe no real county or current drought. “Example County” has no real county identifier and cannot support an account match. Keep this synthetic header with the example percentages. | Example source field | Synthetic value | | --- | --- | | County | Example County, no real geography | | County FIPS | Unassigned because the county is synthetic | | Map valid date | 2026-10-20, illustrative | | Publication date | 2026-10-22, illustrative | | Retrieval time | 2026-10-23 12:00 UTC, illustrative | | Measure | Percent of county area | | Formats compared | Categorical and cumulative | | Category | Categorical percent of county area | Cumulative percent at this category or worse | | --- | ---: | ---: | | None | 20 | Not used in this example | | D0 | 10 | 80 | | D1 | 25 | 70 | | D2 | 30 | 45 | | D3 | 10 | 15 | | D4 | 5 | 5 | Read the categorical column as separate portions of the example county. Its six rows total 100 percent. The D2-only portion is 30 percent. The D3-only portion is 10 percent, and the D4-only portion is 5 percent. Read cumulative D2 as the combined D2, D3, and D4 portions: 30 plus 10 plus 5 equals 45 percent. Cumulative D1 adds the D1-only portion, producing 70 percent. These are two views of the same invented distribution. Do not add the cumulative column. Its D2-or-worse portion is already inside D1-or-worse. Adding 70 and 45 counts the more severe portion twice. A large combined total would describe the arithmetic error, not additional county area. You can also recover an individual category from adjacent cumulative thresholds. In this example, D2-only equals D2-or-worse minus D3-or-worse: 45 minus 15 equals 30 percent. Keep that derivation labeled if it appears in a worksheet. The category names also matter. USDM labels “None” as normal or wet conditions and D0 as abnormally dry. D0 is not a drought category. It can describe areas entering or recovering from drought. D1 is moderate drought, D2 severe drought, D3 extreme drought, and D4 exceptional drought. [USDM overview and category table](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/About/WhatistheUSDM.aspx). Ask the reviewer to read one row aloud. “Forty-five percent of Example County is in D2 or worse” preserves the measure. “Forty-five percent of our landscapes are severely stressed” invents a finding about accounts the example never observed. ## Preserve the dates that answer different questions USDM publishes its map on Thursday using data through the previous Tuesday morning. It describes the map as a recent-condition snapshot rather than a forecast. [USDM publication timing](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/About/WhatistheUSDM.aspx). In the account worksheet, keep map validity separate from publication and retrieval. The first describes the map's reference period. Publication tells the reader when that map became available. Retrieval tells the reader when your office obtained its copy. Use the source's date labels without silently replacing one with another. If a download includes additional validity fields, retain those field names and values. If the publication timestamp is unavailable, record that gap instead of deriving an exact time from the usual release day. A proposed source header should contain the following information. These are worksheet recommendations, not a claim that every download includes every field. | Worksheet field | What to preserve | | --- | --- | | Source | USDM page or download reference | | Geography | Confirmed county and state | | County identifier | Five-digit county FIPS, stored as text | | Map validity | Source date and original field label | | Publication | Confirmed release date or explicitly unknown | | Retrieval | Date and time your office obtained the record | | Measure | Percent of county area | | Format | Cumulative or categorical | | Review state | Current source checked, source unavailable, or awaiting review | USDM's service documentation identifies counties by five-digit FIPS codes and distinguishes traditional statistics from categorical statistics. [USDM web service information](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataDownload/WebServiceInfo.aspx). Preserve leading zeroes when recording an identifier. Check the account's county assignment before connecting that record to the worksheet. Do not substitute the office's mailing county for the customer's site county. If staff have not confirmed the site geography, label the account match unresolved. A county chart can remain useful while the account assignment waits for correction. ## Compare like with like across weeks Suppose the synthetic county's D2-or-worse share changes from 45 percent to 55 percent in the next example week. That is an increase of ten percentage points. It does not establish a ten-point change in any particular property's condition. Keep both observations and their dates visible. Require the same geography, measure, and category format. If a week is missing, show a gap. Do not fill it with the previous value and describe the sequence as uninterrupted observations. A categorical D2-only share can fall while the cumulative D2-or-worse share rises. In the next synthetic week, suppose ten percentage points of county area move from D1 to D2. Another fifteen move from D2 to D3. D2-only falls from 30 to 25 percent, D3-only rises from 10 to 25 percent, and D4 remains at 5 percent. D2-or-worse therefore rises from 45 to 55 percent. Moving area from D2 to D3 alone would leave D2-or-worse unchanged. Read the distribution before describing the direction of change. When the purpose is an account review, show the chosen threshold and explain why the company selected it. A manager might request review after a recorded threshold persists across several maps. That is a company rule, not a plant-health threshold established by this article. The [county drought history tool](/tools/county-drought-history) offers a place to inspect county history. Read its displayed measures and dates before carrying a result into an account discussion. Keep the underlying observation alongside any office summary. ## Carry county context into a site question A county percentage describes a geographic distribution. USDM cautions against inferring specific local conditions from its map. [USDM local-use caveats](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/About/AbouttheData/DroughtClassification.aspx). It does not measure the soil beside a newly installed shrub. It cannot report whether irrigation operated, whether a plant survived, or which party fulfilled a service obligation. Treat that difference as a limit on the review statement. “County context warrants checking the latest site record” is a proposed office action. “This property's plants are drought damaged” requires evidence that a county table does not supply. Separate the public observation, the company's existing record, and the question for the reviewer. Use different fields for each. A narrative that mixes all three can make an unanswered question look like a confirmed site finding. Consider a synthetic account called L-204. Its planting date is recorded, but its irrigation log is absent from the review packet. The county observation is also available. The useful result is a request for the missing record and a qualified site review decision. Do not write that irrigation failed. Do not assign blame to the customer or installation crew. Do not recommend a watering interval. Keep the missing record visible until the responsible person supplies or checks it. ## Ask about planting and irrigation records Before requesting a visit, ask which planting record governs the account. Confirm the installation date, the named planting area, and the latest approved plant schedule. If those records conflict, send the conflict to their owner. Ask when someone last observed the site and where that observation is recorded. Keep the observer's words distinct from the account manager's interpretation. Preserve any limits, such as an inspection that covered only one bed. For irrigation, request the available operating records, recorded interruptions, and the date of the last documented check. An absent log means the review lacks a record. It does not establish how much water reached the planting. Ask which care plan is current and who may change it. Ask whether the responsible reviewer has checked applicable local restrictions. This worksheet does not interpret those restrictions or authorize a care change. If warranty language enters the discussion, retrieve the accepted terms and identify the person authorized to interpret them. Keep the source observation out of the liability field. A county match cannot decide whether a warranty applies. ## Write a review note someone else can understand A proposed note can use four short paragraphs. First, identify the county observation, its dates, measure, and format. Second, state how the account's county assignment was checked. Third, list the account records inspected and the missing facts. Fourth, name the person responsible for deciding the next review step. Keep that decision pending until the person records it. For synthetic account L-204, the final paragraph might read: “Horticulture lead to review the planting record and missing irrigation documentation. Current plant condition remains unconfirmed. No care change or additional work is authorized by this note.” Retain the note with the source reference and the later site observation. If the reviewer declines a visit, preserve that decision and reason. A dismissed candidate belongs in the account history alongside an accepted review. The [business memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) explains why durable source records matter when an assistant helps prepare this material. Give a future reviewer enough context to distinguish the original observation from the later human decision. ## Keep weekly drought review separate from weather alerts A weekly county worksheet and a changing weather alert answer different questions. Do not paste an alert headline into the drought history column. Keep each source's geography, identifiers, and dates with its own observation. Use the companion [NWS alert coverage guide](/articles/nws-alert-zones-updates-landscape-account-review) when reviewing alert zones, revisions, and expiration. The combined account record can reference both sources while preserving their separate limits. For a written scope, bring Scale With Search one territory, a sample county worksheet, and the person who checks site questions. Describe which records the office already owns and which decisions must remain with qualified staff. [Send your brief](/work) ## Source note Official USDM statistics explanation, overview, classification guidance, and web service documentation were reopened on 2026-10-28. No live county percentages were retrieved for this article. All table values and account details are synthetic. Recheck source guidance before changing a working review process. Continue the website review: [AI-native tree and landscape firms: first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-tree-landscape-first-functions); [Landscape design inquiry page: set the agenda](/articles/landscape-design-consultation-website-page); [Landscape maintenance page: explain the recurring scope](/articles/landscape-maintenance-website-service-scope); [Landscaping website updates when the season changes](/articles/landscaping-seasonal-website-update-checklist); [Landscaping website portfolio: show what each job includes](/articles/landscaping-website-project-portfolio); [Landscaping website testimonials: keep the source words](/articles/landscaping-website-testimonial-evidence); [NWS alerts for landscape accounts: handle zones, updates, and expiration](/articles/nws-alert-zones-updates-landscape-account-review); [SEO for landscapers: plan services, places, and inquiries](/articles/seo-for-landscapers-service-and-location-plan); [Tree and landscape AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/tree-landscape-ai-data-approval-spend-rules); [Tree service Google profile: should you hide the address?](/articles/tree-service-google-profile-home-address); [How to ask tree service customers for Google reviews](/articles/tree-service-google-review-requests); [Tree service SEO: map removal, pruning, and stump pages](/articles/tree-service-seo-page-plan); [Tree service storm page: publish the hours you can support](/articles/tree-service-storm-website-availability-page); [Tree service website: make arborist credentials checkable](/articles/tree-service-website-arborist-credentials); [Tree service estimate form: request a site assessment](/articles/tree-service-website-estimate-request-form). [tree services and landscaping companies](/for/tree-services-and-landscaping): website and search resources. ## Related: tree services and landscaping companies - [Landscape design inquiry page: set the agenda](/articles/landscape-design-consultation-website-page) - [Landscape maintenance page: explain the recurring scope](/articles/landscape-maintenance-website-service-scope) - [Landscaping website updates when the season changes](/articles/landscaping-seasonal-website-update-checklist) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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