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US National Drought Statistics

drought.national.stats
Read-onlyIdempotent

Retrieve weekly US national drought statistics from the USDA/NOAA US Drought Monitor for a date range. Returns drought coverage by severity level (D0 Abnormally Dry through D4 Exceptional Drought) for CONUS and the total US (including Alaska/Hawaii/territories), reported as either square miles ("area") or percent of total land area ("percent"). Choose "cumulative" statistics_type to see how much area is in each level or worse (D1 includes D2+D3+D4); choose "categorical" for non-overlapping, mutually exclusive counts. Data is published weekly on Tuesdays — dates automatically snap to the nearest valid release. Maximum query window: 1 year. Useful for climate risk analysis, agricultural planning, and drought trend monitoring.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
metricNoMeasurement unit: "area" returns drought coverage in square miles (default); "percent" returns drought coverage as a percentage of total US land area.
end_dateYesEnd date for the query range in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g. "2024-01-08"). Maximum range is 1 year from start_date.
start_dateYesStart date for the query range in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g. "2024-01-01"). USDM publishes weekly on Tuesdays; dates snap to the nearest release.
statistics_typeNoHow drought levels are counted: "cumulative" (default) means each D-level includes worse levels (D1 includes D1+D2+D3+D4); "categorical" means each level is non-overlapping and mutually exclusive.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
errorNoPresent only when the call failed. Includes error code, message, request_id, and any provider-specific extras.
resultNoTool response payload. Shape varies per tool — consult the tool description and inputSchema. May be an object, array, string, or number depending on the upstream provider response.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Added
  2. Removed
  3. First observed

TDQS

A4.3/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Beyond annotations (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive), the description adds valuable behavioral details: weekly publication on Tuesdays, automatic date snapping, maximum 1-year query window, and the difference between cumulative and categorical counting. These go beyond what annotations convey.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is well-organized, front-loading the core purpose in the first sentence, then systematically covering output, statistics types, publication schedule, and constraints. Each sentence adds distinct value without unnecessary padding.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the complexity and that an output schema exists, the description covers all essential aspects: scope (CONUS and total US), metrics, statistics types, date handling, and query limits. No critical information for calling the tool is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The schema already describes all four parameters with high coverage. The description adds extra clarity on the statistics_type (cumulative vs categorical) and the date snapping behavior, which enriches the schema's basic descriptions without redundancy.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the action (retrieve), resource (US national drought statistics), and source (USDA/NOAA US Drought Monitor). It specifies the output (drought coverage by severity level) and distinguishes itself from county-level tools by emphasizing national scope.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides context for when to use it (climate risk analysis, agricultural planning, drought trend monitoring) but does not explicitly mention alternatives like drought.county.stats or drought.national.dsci. Usage guidance is implied by the 'national' scope rather than explicitly stated.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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