This Climate.gov feature highlights that the Ogallala Aquifer (which underlies parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming) is drying. This will likely be one of the most pressing issues facing water availability in the Southern Plains regions in the coming decades.

Information from regional Drought Early Warning Systems helped people make better decisions in many sectors, including construction, fish production, and agriculture. A recent survey assessed the value of drought and climate-related webinars and quarterly climate summaries produced for decision-makers in the Midwest and Missouri River Drought Early Warning Systems and in the Great Lakes Basin. The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln led the survey, which was funded by the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin December 2016 – February 2017. Dated March 2017. 

Two-page summary of the Climate Assessment Report: Causes for Hydrologic Extremes  in the Upper Missouri River Basin. The report demonstrates a strong physical connection between the increased frequency of high annual runoff events in the UMRB and the increase in precipitation falling over the upper basin.

Two-pager describes regional workshops held in March 2016 in Brookings, SD and Casper, WY to enhance and build partnerships between the regional climate and agricultural services communities.

Presentation given at the Extreme Events and Drought Resiliency workshop that took place September 17-18, 2014 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Discusses the work done by the High Plains Regional Climate Center and how they take weather data and turn it into an end product that is usable by stakeholders.

A presentation by Dr. Dennis Todey that was presented at the Extreme Events and Drought Resiliency workshop that took place in Rapid City, South Dakota September 17-18, 2014. Provides a good deal of data on the climate of the region and the United States as a whole. 

Two-pager recounts Tribal Engagement Workshop in Rapid City, SD held Sept. 17-18, 2014. Includes participant list, next steps, link to presentations and map of Tribal Lands in Missouri River Basin.

Presentation given at the Extreme Events and Drought Resiliency workshop in September 17-18, 2014 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Discusses the importance of monitoring for stream health and some of the pollutants and sources that are cause for alarm. Talks about some of the important types of data that are taken to gauge stream health and shows how this data is analyzed and turned into usable data.