A dataset of hydrologic extremes transitions across the conterminous United States, 1981–2024

This data release provides datasets for the conterminous United States (CONUS), characterizing rapid transitions between hydrological extremes, drought-to-flood (DtF) and flood-to-drought (FtD), over 1981–2024. The datasets include event catalogs, transition catalogs, and comparison tables used to assess prevalence, timing, rapidity, and impactfulness of hydrologic transitions and their relation to meteorological transitions. Files included in this release are:
Files compiling identified drought and flood events across various definitions:
1) flood_events.csv
2) drought_events.csv

Files compiling DtF and FtD transitions across various definitions:
3) flood_to_drought_transitions_various_types.csv
4) drought_to_flood_transitions_various_types.csv

Files compiling DtF and FtD transitions for the primary definitions used in the manuscript:
5) flood_to_drought_transitions.csv
6) drought_to_flood_transitions.csv

Metadata with basin type classifications for all gages used in the study:
7) meta_data_with_classifications.csv

Meteorological transitions from Swain and others 2025 formatted for use in our study:
8) dry_wet_data_from_Swain_formatted_for_comparison.csv
9) wet_dry_data_from_Swain_formatted_for_comparison.csv

Methods are described in more detail in the paired manuscript “Assessing the prevalence, timing, and rapidity of transitions between hydrological extremes and their relation to meteorological extremes in the conterminous United States” (see larger work reference). Column names and descriptions for each dataset are included in the data dictionary csv file.

We are providing the R scripts included in this report solely for documentation and transparency purposes as a zip file called: R_scripts_for_methodological_documentation.zip. The script pipeline_for_characterizing_drought_flood_transitions.R calls all of the other scripts in order to run this workflow. Although they reflect the code used in our analysis, we offer no guarantees regarding their performance, functionality, or applicability under any other conditions.