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From the unpredictability of flash droughts to dry conditions that threatened water supplies in major cities last year, the Mid-Atlantic faces complex challenges. To confront these growing risks, more than 50 federal, state, academic, and regional stakeholders convened to begin shaping the Mid-Atlantic Drought Early Warning System (DEWS).

Led by NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), the Upper Missouri River Basin (UMRB) Data Value Study is a collaboration across the federal government, with Tribal Nations, states, and academic institutions. The UMRB Data Value Study advances understanding of soil moisture and plains snowpack to improve the Nation’s ability to predict and provide warning of flood and drought. 

A new study in Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, funded in part by NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), evaluated whether the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) can help identify these rapid changes. Researchers found ESI shows its strongest alignment with soil moisture in the fall and can provide an early signal of developing flash drought conditions in the Southeast. Changes in ESI often emerge alongside rapid soil moisture declines, offering a useful, persistent early warning of drought when used alongside other indicators.

In 2026, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), established by Public Law (P.L. 109-430), marks a major milestone: 20 years of advancing drought early warning and enhancing long-term drought resilience across the United States. 

There is a growing possibility that an El Niño will be among the strongest influences on weather patterns across the U.S. later this year. What will this mean for drought in the Southern Plains?

The Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) has traditionally been NOAA's official measure, or index, to track the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. In February, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center adopted the Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI) to better designate past events and predict future phases of ENSO. RONI accounts for the long-term ocean temperature trends in a way that the traditional ONI does not, thus providing a better representation of the seasonal climate variability. 

NIDIS-supported researchers from the Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange developed an improved Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which captures how observed rainfall deviates from the climatological average over a given time period. This product uses high-resolution (250 meter) rainfall maps to produce the gridded SPI product in near-real-time on the Hawai'i Climate Data Portal.

From the catastrophic wildfires in Southern California to record-low streamflow in the Northeast, drought and its impacts touched nearly every corner of the country. The year saw the unusual return of two La Niña events and devastating weather whiplash that brought historic floods to drought-stricken Texas. 2025 showed us that drought is even more devastating when compounded with other climate hazards, such as wildfire and flood. This list breaks down some significant drought-related events of 2025 that made 2025 a year of water extremes across the United States. 

NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), in partnership with the Southern Regional Climate Center (SRCC), conducted a post-drought assessment of the Southern Plains drought of 2020-2025 to understand the drought’s evolution and impacts (including economic costs) and communicate them to decision-makers across the region, the private sector, and the public. 

On December 15–19, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) is hosting its annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year, the meeting will focus on the theme, “Where Science Connects Us.”  NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and partners are excited to present on NIDIS-supported drought research and applications at AGU.