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2024 North American Drought Monitor Forum

May 14
May 14, 2024 - May 16, 2024
Location
Victoria, B.C., Canada & Virtual
Example North American Drought Monitor map.

The North American Drought Monitor (NADM) Forum occurs every two years and provides an opportunity for Drought Monitor authors, users, practitioners, and researchers to discuss ways to improve the science of drought monitoring in North America. This year's in-person meeting will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, on May 14–16, 2024. The forum is being held as a hybrid event with remote options and limited in-person availability.

Please direct any questions regarding registration for the NADM Forum to droughtwatch@agr.gc.ca.

Accommodation:

Room blocks are available at the following hotels:

  • Best Western Plus Carlton Plaza – Link to room registration page.
    • Standard Room rate of CAN$180/night
  • Sandman Hotel – Contact the hotel directly at (250) 388-0788. Press “1” for Guest Services.
    • Government employees use NADM block ID 358503, block code 2405NADMGOVEMP.
      • Standard Queen: CAN$144/night
      • Standard 2 double beds: CAN$144/night
      • King Suite with Kitchenette: CAN$174/night
    • Non-government use block ID: 358374, block code: 2405NADM.
      • Standard Queen: CAN$165/night
      • Standard 2 double beds: CAN$172/night
      • King Suite with Kitchenette: CAN$188/night

Ground Transportation:

  • View airport transportation information
  • BC Transit Bus:
    • Cost: CAN$5.00 to downtown.
    • Travel time: 1 hour and 10 minutes.
  • Taxi:
    • Cost: Estimated CAN$65 to CAN$85
    • A service that the airport website advertises is “Yellow Cab of Victoria” – (250) 381-222 or 1-800-808-6881.
    • Advance reservation of at least 1 hour is recommended.
  • Uber/KABU:
    • Cost: CAN$50 to CAN$70
  • Car rentals:
    • Cost: CAN$75–$150/day
    • Victoria INTL Airport is served by five on-airport rental car companies with counters located in the arrivals area directly across from the Information Desk. Off-airport rental car operators do not have counters at the Victoria INTL Airport. Pick-up needs to be pre-arranged at the time of booking. The off-airport customer pick-up area is located across the crosswalk at the arrivals end of the terminal building.
      • On-airport companies: AVIS, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty, National
      • Off-airport companies: Alamo, Enterprise
  • Note that the meeting is taking place at the Pacific Forest Centre, 506 Burnside Rd W, approximately a 10 minute drive from the hotels in the downtown region.  If you are not renting a vehicle, be prepared to arrange transportation to and from the meeting each day.  Ride sharing with your colleagues attending the meeting is encouraged.

Forum Agenda:

Day 1: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 

TimeAgenda ItemPresenter(s)

8:00 a.m.

Registration

 

8:30 a.m.

Welcome, Introductions, and Opening Remarks

 

8:30 a.m.

Workshop overview, context, and goals

Trevor Hadwen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Agroclimate Information Service

8:50 a.m.

Welcome from Canadian partner agencies 

Brad Stennes, Natural Resources Canada

Ken Kwok, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Andrew Davidson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
 

9:15 a.m.

Key Note: Reflections on Drought, Climate Change, and Impacts on Hydrology, Cryosphere, and Water Resources Management in Canada

(Remote presentation)

John Pomeroy, University of Saskatchewan, National Hydrology Research Centre

10:00 a.m.

Refreshment Break

 

10:20 a.m.

Session 1: The Impacts and Implications of the 2023 Drought

Session Chair: Judy Kwan

10:20 a.m.

The 2023 Drought – A Review of the Climate and Cause 

Armel Castellan, Environment and Climate Change Canada

10:45 a.m.

The 2023 Wildfire Season in Canada: A Review of the Historical Fire Season and the Underlying Drought that Drove It

Matt MacDonald, British Columbia Wildfire Service

11:10 a.m.

The Impact of the 2023 Drought on Agriculture in Canada

Trevor Hadwen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

11:35 a.m.

Discussion

 

12:00 p.m.

Lunch

 

1:00 p.m.

Session 2: NADM Updates

Session Chair: Richard Heim

1:00 p.m.

Overview of the NADM: History, Concept, Goals, and Process

Brad Rippey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief Economist

1:25 p.m.

2024 United States Drought Monitor Update

Brian Fuchs, U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center

1:50 p.m.

Canadian Drought Monitor Update

Trevor Hadwen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Alyssa Klein, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

2:15 p.m.

Mexican Drought Monitor Update

Reynold Pascual Ramirez, National Water Commission of Mexico

2:40 p.m.

Refreshment Break

 

3:00 p.m.

Drought Monitoring Outside of North America

(Remote presentation)

Mark Svoboda, U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center

3:30 p.m.

Author Panel Discussion

NADM Authors (Canada, U.S., and Mexico)

4:00 p.m.

Summary and Wrap-Up of Day 1

 

4:15 p.m.

End of Day 1

 

 

Day 2: Wednesday, May 15, 2024

TimeAgenda ItemPresenter(s)

8:20 a.m.

Welcome Back – Review and Introduction Day 2

 

8:30 a.m.

Session 3: Drought in a Changing Climate

Session Chair: Britt Parker

8:30 a.m.

Assessing Drought in a Changing Climate: Progress and Next Steps

Britt Parker, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Integrated Drought Information System

9:00 a.m.

Assessing Drought in a Changing Climate Panel: 

  • Considering Non-stationarity in Drought Assessment (Zach Hoylman)
  •  Extremes for Water Management in a Changing Climate (Mike Anderson)
  • Online Tools Help the Largest Land-Based Tribe in the U.S. with Temporal and Spatial Drought Evaluations (Crystal Tulley-Cordova) (Remote presentation)
  • Future Drought Monitoring Challenges in the Northeast United States (Art DeGaetano)
     

Zach Hoylman, Montana Climate Office

Mike Anderson, California Department of Water Resources, Division of Flood Management

Crystal Tulley-Cordova, Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources

Art DeGaetano, NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center, Department of Earth and Atmospheric
Sciences at Cornell University

10:00 a.m.

Discussion – How does this information change how we look at monitoring drought?

 

10:20 a.m.

Refreshment Break

 

10:40 a.m.

Session 4: The Importance of Drought Impact Data

Session Chair: Alyssa Klein

10:40 a.m.

Monitoring Drought Impacts

Kelly Smith, U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center

11:05 a.m.

CoCoRaHS and Condition Reporting...What Does Your Landscape Look Like?

Henry Reges, CoCoRaHS – Colorado Climate Center

11:30 a.m.

The USDA Agriculture in Drought Products

Brad Rippey,  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief Economist

11:55 a.m.

Discussion:

  • How is impact data currently used within the drought assessment process?

  • How can we improve data collection and use within the assessments?

 

12:15 p.m.

Lunch 

 

1:15 p.m.

Session 5: Drought Indices

Session Chair: Brian Fuchs

1:15 p.m.

NDMC’s New Breed of Combined Drought Indicators 

(Remote presentation)

Mark Svoboda, U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center

1:40 p.m.

Considering Effective Precipitation in Drought Monitoring 

(Remote presentation)

Trent Ford, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

2:05 p.m.

Canadian Drought Signal (CDS): A Weekly Drought Prediction Model

Tyler Black, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 

2:30 p.m.

Refreshment Break

 

2:50 p.m.

The Floating Month Drought Index

Richard Heim, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information

3:15 p.m.

Drought Monitor Application in Mexico for an Efficient Use of Water 

(Remote presentation)

Dante Hernandez Padrón, National Water Commission of Mexico

3:45 p.m.

Summary and Wrap-Up of Day 2

 

4:15 p.m.

End of Day 2

 

 

Day 3: Thursday, May 16, 2024

TimeAgenda ItemPresenter(s)

8:20 a.m.

Welcome Back – Review and Introduction Day 3

 

8:30 a.m.

Session 6: First Nations and Tribal Communities

Session Chair: Roxanne Vingarzan

8:30 a.m.

Building Drought Resilience in a Changing Climate with Upper Columbia and Missouri River Basin Tribes

Molly Woloszyn, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Integrated Drought Information System

8:55 a.m.

Online Tools Help the Largest Land-Based Tribe in the U.S. with Temporal and Spatial Drought Evaluations 

(Remote presentation)

Crystal Tulley-Cordova, Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources

9:20 a.m.

First Nations Insights on Drought

(Remote presentation)

Robert Phillips, First Nations Summit of British Columbia

9:45 a.m.

Discussion

 

10:10 a.m.

Refreshment Break

 

10:30 a.m.

Session 7: Wildfire and Drought

Session Chair: Brad Rippey

10:30 a.m.

Some Things About Drought and Fire

Tim Brown, U.S. Western Regional Climate Center and the Desert Research Institute

10:55 a.m.

Drought Trends and Related Risks to B.C. Forests 

(Remote presentation)

Vanessa Foord, British Columbia Ministry of Forests

11:20 a.m.

The Forest Drought Response Index (ForDRI): A New Drought Monitoring Tool to Depict Forest Drought Stress Across the Contiguous United States

Tsegaye Tadesse, U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center

11:45 a.m.Discussion 

12:00 p.m.

Lunch

 

1:00 p.m.

Session 8: Drought in Diverse Environments

Session Chair: David Lee

1:00 p.m.

A Toolbox of Drought Indices for Monitoring Drought Across the Diverse Climates of North America

Richard Heim, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information

1:25 p.m.

Snow Drought in the Western U.S. and Beyond

Dan McEvoy, Desert Research Institute

1:50 p.m.

Monitoring Drought in the NWT

Brian Sieben, Government of Northwest Territories, Environment and Natural Resources

2:15 p.m.

Discussion

 

2:30 p.m.

Summary, Next Steps and Closing Remarks

Trevor Hadwen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Agroclimate Information Service

3:00 p.m.

End of Day 3

 

About Victoria:

If you are looking at extending your trip, Victoria and Vancouver Island are great places to explore. Attractions in the Victoria area include the Royal BC Museum, whale watching, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Butchart Gardens, the Victoria Butterfly Gardens , rainforest hikes, historical tours ,and much more. For more information on visiting Victoria, see their tourism pagevacation guide, and greater Victoria area map.