Recent research published in the American Meteorological Society “Journal of Climate” provides an easy and quick methodology to identify where serious drought has developed and is likely to continue (unless a dramatic climate pattern change occurs). The research identifies the influence of deep (10-200 CM) soil moisture anomalies caused by long-term climate and the effectiveness of that deep layer soil moisture deficit on the shallow (0-10 CM) soil moisture anomalies caused by short-term climate and weather phenomena.