The Soil Moisture Data Quality Guidance document provides guidelines for standardizing soil moisture data collection by mesonets and other long-term monitoring networks. It introduces a tiering system for categorizing soil moisture data into "data quality tiers" and provides aspirational goals to improve the quality of soil moisture data. 

This document was developed in response to the identification of metadata and data quality guidelines for in situ soil moisture monitoring as a top priority for the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network (NCSMMN) at the National Soil Moisture Workshop in 2022.

Despite the water-rich nature of the southeastern U.S., extended and intense dry periods intermittently occur across the region leading to reduced soil moisture levels and surface water supplies. These drought periods affect the landscape at different scales, with agriculture experiencing impacts earlier than other sectors

NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and Physical Sciences Laboratory are partnering with the California State Climatologist/California Department of Water Resources, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) and National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), and the California-Nevada Adaptation Program, a NOAA CAP team, to deliver a user-oriented and evidence-based approach to drought early warning for sectors of our Nation’s economy susceptible to the hazards of too much and too little water.

In September 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA's) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation convened the Workshop for Building Drought Resilience in a Changing Climate with Upper Columbia and Missouri Basin Tribes. This workshop, which built off of existing investments to advance the

From worsening water quality to respiratory and metal health impacts, drought can have profound and widespread impacts on the health of communities across the nation. To better prepare health professionals’ response to the health effects of drought, a research team from the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health recently released a new guide to assist healthcare providers and public health officials communicate about the health risks of drought with their patients and broader communities.

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.

Flash droughts have been recognized within the last few decades as a unique phenomenon with significant impacts that require a different approach to monitoring, prediction, and planning. While there have been efforts to improve flash drought early warning over the last few years, a collaboration amongst researchers and practitioners was needed to ensure a holistic and user-driven approach to improve the country’s understanding and preparedness for flash drought. 

An accurate depiction of soil moisture conditions can provide valuable insights for agricultural conditions monitoring, weather prediction, and drought and flood early warning. NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), working in collaboration with the U.S.

An Integrated Information System (IIS) is a proven, whole-of-government organizational approach for enabling and strengthening capabilities to understand, manage, and mitigate societal risks from complex environmental hazards (e.g., heat, drought, floods). These systems work across sectors, timescales, geographies, and disciplines. An IIS is designed to inform and improve the policy and decision-making landscape, connect and amplify existing programs and networks, and respond to emerging priorities in a rapidly changing climate.