When considering low water or flooding on the Lower Mississippi, the rain that falls in Mississippi, Arkansas, or Louisiana has very little to do with it. This is because most of the water in the Lower Mississippi comes from upstream rivers. At the point where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi River (i.e., Cairo, Illinois), 90% of the water has entered the mainstem Mississippi River which will then be discharged into the Gulf. The final 10% of river flows come from the St.
This report summarizes the ideas and thoughtful participation of speakers and attendees of the 2024 Midwest Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Partners Meeting, held in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 20-22, 2024.
NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and Physical Sciences Laboratory are partnering with the California State Climatologist/California Department of Water Resources, NOAA’s National Weather Service and National Centers for Environmental Information, and the California-Nevada Adaptation Program (a NOAA CAP team) on the Sector-Specific Drought Early Warning Outlook – Southern California Pilot.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Mid-Atlantic Region for December 2024–February 2025. Dated March 2025.
The purpose of the Pacific Northwest Water Year 2024 Impacts Assessment is to connect the water year conditions to sector-specific impacts to inform planning, response actions, and technical and scientific information needs. Ultimately, the assessment can be used as a resource for future management of drought and other climate extremes.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for December 2024–February 2025. Dated March 2025.
Winter 2024-2025 temperatures were near normal for much of the Southern Region, with most stations running 2°F below normal to 2°F above normal. Precipitation was well below normal in the western portions of the region, with 41 counties in Texas and 8 in Oklahoma observing one of their five driest winters on record.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf Coast Region for December 2024–February 2025. Dated March 2025.
Winter 2024-2025 temperatures were near normal for much of the Gulf Region, with most stations observing temperatures 2°F below normal to 2°F above normal. Precipitation was below normal in the western and eastern portions of the region and near to slightly above normal in the central portions.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast and Caribbean Region for December 2024–February 2025. Dated March 2025. (Updated April 2025 to add Spanish translation of Caribbean information.)
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin for December 2024–February 2025. Dated March 2025.
Despite a warm start, temperatures this winter were mostly below normal. This winter was dry, with snowfall well below normal across much of the northern and central Plains.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for December 2024–February 2025. Dated March 2025.
Winter season temperatures were near normal in the north and slightly below normal across the south. Winter season precipitation was above normal across the Ohio River Valley and the far upper Midwest and below normal elsewhere. This seasonal pattern of wetness and dryness was largely similar in December, January, and February across the region.