California and Nevada’s climate and weather patterns create fire-prone environments for many wildland–urban interface communities, highlighting the value in understanding the relationships between drought and wildfire. More specifically, information is needed on how drought indices are related to fire danger outputs that are commonly used in fire management.
Between 2016 and 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Southern Plains Climate Hub led a project to assess the impacts of the recent historic 2016 and 2018 wildfires on the Southern Plains.
The 2019 Water Year (starting Oct. 1, 2018) was off to a dry start in California-Nevada, but a wet winter has improved drought conditions. For the first time since December 20, 2011, California is drought free as of mid-March according to the U.S. Drought Monitor with less than 7% of the state remaining abnormally dry (D0). Similarly Nevada is drought free as of the end of March with ~10% of the state remaining abnormally dry (D0).
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Midwest Region for December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.
Winter temperatures for the 3-month period of December to February ranged from a few degrees below normal in the northwest to a few degrees above normal in the southeast. Precipitation was well above normal in the Midwest, ranking as the third wettest winter back to 1895.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Alaska and Northwestern Canada for December 2018 – February 2019; outlook for April – June 2019. Dated March 2019.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Gulf of Maine Region for December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.
Winter temperatures (averaged over December, January, and February) ranged from 2°C (4°F) below normal to 2°C (4°F) above normal. Winter precipitation (accumulated from December–February) generally ranged from 75% to 150% of normal.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.
With a warm start and a cold end, average temperatures for the winter were only slightly below normal across the Missouri River Basin. Persistent cold, along with frequent snowstorms during the latter half of winter, allowed the snowpack to build across the Plains.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast Region for December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.
Persistent stormy conditions helped to maintain near-to-below normal temperatures across much of the West this winter. Abundant precipitation and moderate temperatures helped alleviate drought conditions in large areas of the West.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Great Lakes Region for December 2018 – February 2019. Dated March 2019.
Winter temperatures ranged from 2°C (4°F) below normal in the Superior basin to 2°C (4°F) above normal in the Erie basin. Winter precipitation ranged from 91% to 101% of normal.