Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southern Region for June – August 2020. Dated September 2020.
Temperatures hovered between slightly below normal to slightly above normal for much of the region, with the West experiencing above-normal temperatures. Precipitation varied spatially, with normal to above-normal precipitation in the East and Deep South and below-normal precipitation in the West.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands Region for June – August 2020. Dated September 2020.
Includes significant events, regional climate overview, and sectoral impacts for June – August 2020; regional outlook for September – November 2020.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Chesapeake Bay Region for June – August 2020. Dated September 2020.
The entire region experienced warmer-than-normal conditions; it was the hottest summer on record for Norfolk, Virginia, and Harrisburg and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This summer saw a wide range of precipitation conditions; the northern portions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed had an abnormally dry summer, while the southern and eastern portions of the watershed experienced above normal precipitation.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast Region for June – August 2020. Dated September 2020.
Above-average temperatures were recorded over Virginia and Florida, with near-average temperatures reported over the rest of the Southeast. A few stations observed their top 5 wettest summers on record, including Staunton, VA and Hickory, NC. In contrast, parts of Florida and Georgia only had 70 percent of normal summer precipitation.
This drought early warning update was originally sent via email to the Missouri River Basin and Midwest DEWS email lists.
This Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands drought early warning update was originally sent via email on September 3, 2020.
Additional improvements in drought conditions are expected across the local islands through November. Therefore, no major drought impacts are expected across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands through the fall season.
The project, Connecting Drought Early Warning to the Decision Making Needs of Specialty Crop Producers in the Midwestern United States, developed a set of decision calendars that provide month-by-month and seasonal advice on how growers manage production of Midwestern apple, grape, cranberry, and irrigated potato crops during drought years. Fact sheets highlighting appropriate drought and climate tools for monitoring conditions during the growing seasons and beyond are also available.
While there is a strong connection between drought and wildfire in the western United States, how drought influences the post-wildfire environment is less well-understood, especially at shorter (1-3 year) timescales. The hazards posed by post-fire flooding and debris flows in burned landscapes depends on burn severity, underlying geology and topography, and vegetation recovery following the fire.
Outdoor recreation is a major contributor to the Intermountain West’s economy, but the future viability of many businesses—particularly small businesses—in the industry is threatened by their drought vulnerabilities and the region’s projected increases in drought severity and frequency.
This drought status update was originally sent via email to the Southern Plains DEWS email list.