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. 

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Mid-Atlantic Region for June–August 2023. Dated September 2023.

Average temperatures for the summer season were 0–1 degrees below normal for much of the region. This is the first cooler-than-normal season since the start of the MARISA Climate Summary series in 2018. Summer precipitation amounts varied across the region, with some sites experiencing 50%–75% of normal rainfall with others experiencing over 150% of their normal amounts of rainfall.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast Region for June–August 2023. Dated September 2023.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Mid-Atlantic Region for March–May 2023. Dated June 2023.

Average temperatures for this spring were 0–2 degrees F above normal for the majority of the region. This is cooler than what was observed for the winter season, but similar to what was observed from spring 2021 to fall 2022. The majority of the region experienced drier than normal conditions (50%–75% of normal precipitation).

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast Region for March–May 2023. Dated June 2023.

Temperatures were near average across much of the Southeast, with a few locations either slightly above or slightly below average. Precipitation was variable across the Southeast.

Drought is one of the costliest and deadliest climate-related disasters in the United States, necessitating public health engagement at a national level. Although drought is not typically thought of as a health hazard, the pathways to human health outcomes are prevalent and numerous. To better understand these pathways, and actions that could be taken to reduce health impacts associated with drought, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) supported the first comprehensive assessment of drought and health.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Mid-Atlantic Region for December 2022–February 2023. Dated March 2023.

Most areas experienced temperatures 4–6 degrees F above normal. The southern half of the region received less than 25 percent of normal winter season snowfall, with several sites hitting records for the least snowy winter on record.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast Region for December 2022–February 2023. Dated March 2023.

Temperatures were much above average across the Southeast, particularly in Alabama and Virginia, as well as parts of the Carolinas and north Florida, where many locations were 4 to 6 degrees F above average for the season. Precipitation was variable across the Southeast this winter.