Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for June – August 2018. Dated September 2018.
Summer temperatures were near normal across the Inland Northwest and above normal elsewhere in the region, especially in the Southwest. Monsoon precipitation was variable throughout the season, though many Southwest locations ended up with near to slightly above normal precipitation.
Two-page summary of the July 25, 2018 webinar on current Southwest U.S. drought conditions, impacts, and outlook and wildfires.
Exceptional Drought Continues in Southwest. Wet Monsoon Slightly Favored.
- The region is still mired in severe to exceptional drought due to record-high temperatures and record-low precipitation in the winter and spring
- Impacts include vegetation stress, extremely low streamflow, major wildfires, increased flood risks, and national forest closures
- Outlook favors wetter-than-normal monsoon precipitation setting in around 6-9 July
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March – May 2018. Dated June 2018.
Spring precipitation was above normal in a broad swath from central California northeast into Montana. Well below normal precipitation across much of the Four Corners states; Arizona and New Mexico had their 10th driest spring.
Below is a summary of the 23 May webinar led by Brian Fuchs, Climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, and Ed Delgado, National Program Manager, Predictive Services, National Interagency Fire Center. The webinar explained drought conditions and outlook, as well as drought and wildfire in the region.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2017 – February 2018. Dated March 2018.
Temperatures were well above normal in the Southwest: Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada all had top-10 warmest December-February on record. Dry conditions dominated the Southwest as well: California, Nevada, and Utah had bottom-10 driest December-February on record.
Summary of the Intermountain West Drought Early Warning System Utah Stakeholder Meeting that took place on November 14, 2017 at the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District Education Center in West Jordan, Utah. The meeting goals were to review the current state of drought information and drought planning in Utah and determine how to address gaps in information provision and use, communication, and/or planning in order to strengthen drought resiliency.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for September – November 2017. Dated December 2017.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for June – August 2017. Dated September 2017.
Warmest summer on record for California and Nevada; second warmest for Oregon, 3rd warmest for Utah, and 4th for Washington and Arizona. Several locations set record for all-time warmest month in July: Reno, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and Bakersfield, CA. Much drier than normal conditions across northern tier of West; Montana had 2nd driest summer on record. Moderate to exceptional drought conditions developed across Montana.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March – May 2017. Dated June 2017.