The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is pleased to share our 2023 Annual Report to provide insight into the many accomplishments of the program over the previous year and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2023–February 2024. Dated March 2024.

Winter temperatures were above normal throughout the West with much of the region in the top 10% warmest winters since 1895. Precipitation anomalies were mixed for the winter season. Much of Oregon, northern Nevada, northern Utah, and eastern Colorado saw much above normal precipitation while northern Wyoming and parts of northern Idaho and Western Montana had much below normal precipitation.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for September–November 2023. Dated December 2023.

In a changing climate, the intensity, duration, and frequency of droughts may change. This poses new challenges for drought assessment. Current methods for assessing drought conditions do not consistently and deliberately consider drought in the context of climate change, thereby unintentionally promoting drought response strategies that are limited in building long-term resilience in a changing climate.