Notated R code, CSV files, and metadata for Russell et al. (2020) publication entitled "Playa wetland responses to droughts and hydrologic alteration". The study asks the following questions: (1) What are the drivers of playa inundation and how might intensifying droughts affect habitat availability? (2) Are there particular playas that serve as hydrologic refugia during droughts, and if so, how are these patterns related to playa development? Remote sensing data were collated and analyzed for 153 playa in the Hart-Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge Complex (SE Oregon and N Nevada) between 1985-2015. Notated R code provides step-by-step data download, collation and modeling instructions. CSV files contain the tabular outputs, including: monthly and annual time-step remote sensing data for surface water presence/duration at each playa, and Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) at each playa.