Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March–May 2022. Dated June 2022.

Temperatures were below average across the Pacific Northwest, northern California, and the northern Great Basin. Dry conditions persisted across the Southwest with record low spring precipitation in parts of Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2021–February 2022. Dated March 2022.

Above-normal temperatures were observed in mountain regions in California, Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon. Despite a wet December, high pressure-induced dry conditions during January and February created widespread below-normal conditions throughout the West. 

The National Weather Service developed 2022 Spring Hazard Outlooks in coordination with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS); High Plains Regional Climate Center; Midwestern Regional Climate Center; U.S. Department of Agriculture; and National Interagency Fire Centers' Geographic Area Coordination Centers. This outlook highlights the various spring hazards that could occur and potential impacts across the Mountain West.

Compared to one year ago, the area in drought in the western U.S. rose from 77% to 88%, while the area in Exceptional Drought (D4) dropped from 22% to 3%. December 2021 storms brought more than 200% of normal precipitation to a large area of California and Nevada and in the Rockies west of the Continental Divide. These storms improved the drought status by 1–2 categories, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, throughout much of the region.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for September - November 2021.  Dated December 2021.

The National Weather Service Central Region developed 2021–2022 Winter Hazard Outlooks in coordination with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information and National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS); U.S. Department of Agriculture; High Plains Regional Climate Center; and National Interagency Fire Center's Geographic Area Coordination Centers. This outlook highlights the various Winter hazards that could occur and potential impacts across the Western U.S.

This article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) was the result of NIDIS-supported research. Learn more about this research.

This summary provides information on the typical La Niña winter pattern; the La Niña outlook; potential impacts; and comparisons of conditions during previous La Niña years for the Western U.S., updated in November 2021.

NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Program created these outlooks to inform the public about climate impacts within their respective regions. Each regional report contains easy-to-understand language, and anyone can access them through the Drought Portal.

Using the state-of-science and the collective expertise of the NOAA Drought Task Force, this report addresses three questions about the period of below normal rain, snow, runoff, and soil moisture, known as the 2020-21 U.S. Southwest drought: (1) How bad is it? (2) What caused it? And (3) When will it end?

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for June - August 2021.  Dated September 2021.

Temperatures were well above average across nearly the entire west and were record breaking in some cases.  Over 89% of the western U.S. is in drought, with 54% in extreme to exceptional drought.