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Drought Early Warning Activities

Page Summary

Each regional drought early warning system (DEWS) focuses on improving early warning capacity for and resilience to drought in that region, including examining the role of extreme weather events and climate variability in drought.

Regional DEWS Coordination

NIDIS has developed regional drought early warning systems (DEWS) throughout the United States, where local networks of researchers, resource managers, policymakers, the private sector, academics, and other stakeholders share information and actions to help their communities cope with drought.

A DEWS coordinates this network of key regional partners so that decision makers and citizens can systematically approach drought monitoring and forecasting integration when planning and preparing for drought. Regional DEWS encourage innovation by integrating new, locally relevant drought information, and supporting the introduction and testing of technologies that detect and communicate drought risks and warnings.

Regional DEWS activities focus on five key areas for drought early warning (DEWS components): observation and monitoring, prediction and forecasting, planning and preparedness, communication and outreach, and interdisciplinary research and applications.

Circles representing each of the 5 key components of a drought early warning system

Drought Early Warning Activities

The table below shows ongoing activities related to drought early warning across the United States. Each activity falls into one or more of the five key areas of drought early warning systems (DEWS components): observation and monitoring, planning and preparedness, prediction and forecasting, communication and outreach, and interdisciplinary research and applications.

DEWS Components Legend
Observation & Monitoring
 
Planning & Preparedness
 
Prediction & Forecasting
 
Communication & Outreach
 
Research & Applications

Select filters to browse DEWS Activities below

Description

The 2017 drought was a rapid-onset event for northeast Montana, the Dakotas, and the Canadian Prairies during the spring and summer of 2017. It was the worst drought to impact the U.S. Northern…

Scope
Region
Key Partners
NOAA, Montana Climate Office, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, North Dakota State Climate Office, South Dakota State Climate Office, High Plains Regional Climate Center, USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub, NIDIS
Project Timeline
Dec
2017
May
2019
DEWS Components
Description

On August 9–10, 2022, NIDIS hosted the Southeast Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Partners Dialogue in Atlanta, Georgia. This regional gathering brought together partners for the first time…

Scope
Region
Key Partners
NIDIS, UCAR
Project Timeline
Aug
2022
Aug
2022
DEWS Components
Description

This was a pilot project under the U.S. Forest Service’s recently formed Soil Moisture Monitoring Network Initiative. It aimed to explore best practices for forest soil moisture monitoring and…

Scope
State
Key Partners
Western Kentucky University, Kentucky Climate Center, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey
Project Timeline
Oct
2021
Sep
2023
DEWS Components
Description

The Coastal Salinity Index (CSI) was developed as a way to characterize coastal drought by monitoring the freshwater-saltwater interface. The tool is intended to improve understanding of the…

Scope
Region
Key Partners
USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center, Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments (CISA, a NOAA RISA Team), NIDIS
Project Timeline
Sep
2016
Aug
2020
DEWS Components
Description

Agricultural crop insurance is an important component for mitigating farm risk, particularly given the potential for unexpected climatic events. Using a 2.8 million national insurance claim…

Scope
Region
Key Partners
Oregon State University, University of Idaho
Project Timeline
Sep
2018
Aug
2020
DEWS Components