Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March – May 2020.  Dated June 2020.

Temperatures were above average during spring 2020 throughout much of the West. Widespread drier-than-normal conditions occurred in spring though some regions experienced wetter than normal months.

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.
 

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for September – November 2018.  Dated December 2018.

Above normal minimum temperatures were observed in California, Nevada, and Oregon.  Near to well above normal precipitation was observed across much of the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, and southern UT) with an improvement of drought conditions in this area.

Current Drought Conditions 

The 2019 Water Year was off to a dry start in California-Nevada. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, ~74% of California-Nevada is in moderate (D1) to extreme drought (D3) as of December 4, 2018. Extreme drought (D3) conditions began impacting Ventura-Santa Barbara counties while D1-D2 conditions expanded over the Sierras and northern coastal California. Precipitation at the end of November into early December improved some of these conditions.

Provides a definition of El Nino; potential winter impacts; the outlook for winter temperatures and precipitation; and a look back at previous El Nino winters.

NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Program created these Outlooks to inform the public about climate impacts within their respective regions. Each regional report contains easy-to-understand language, and anyone can access them through the Drought Portal at https://www.drought.gov/drought/resources/reports. 

Current Drought Conditions 

Over the course of the 2018 Water Year (Oct. 2017 - Sept. 2018), drought crept back into California-Nevada. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought conditions have not changed over the last 2 months except for expansion of severe drought (D3) at the Oregon and Utah borders. As of Sept. 25, ~48% of California-Nevada was in moderate to extreme drought and ~43% was abnormally dry. Current forecasts show most drought areas persisting into the early winter with above-normal temperatures likely.