California statewide precipitation during the last three winters (November-April 2011/2012 through 2013/2014) ranked the second lowest since official measurements began in 1895. Only the consecutive three-year period of 1974/1975 through 1976/1977 was drier. In this report, the authors analyze the causes and predictability of the California drought during these three consecutive rainy seasons observations and ensembles of simulations conducted with seven atmosphere models forced by observed sea surface temperatures.

The 2017–2018 Intermountain West (IMW) Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Strategic Plan outlines priority tasks and activities across the region to build drought early warning capacity and resilience.  It includes a list of current partners, outcomes, and key milestones. This Plan is a “living document” to which additional actions and partners may be added as needed. 

NIDIS is a multi-agency partnership that coordinates drought monitoring, forecasting, planning, and information at national, state, and local levels across the country. In 2006, Congress passed the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Act of 2006, which directs NIDIS to develop and “provide a national drought early warning information system.”

Soil moisture has been recognized as a key variable for assessing the onset and magnitude of both drought and flooding hydro-extremes, but accurately measuring it over a large spatial extent and systematically reporting it have proven to be challenging. In response to this need and with support from NIDIS, the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research's Weather Program Office funded a new project to enhance the soil moisture monitoring network in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida and to improve the application of soil moisture data to decision making in the region.

In the Rocky Mountain West, monitoring the evolution of the snowpack over the course of the winter and spring is critical to forecasting streamflow and managing water supply as well as fisheries management and guided rafting.

The ACF DEWS Strategic Plan (Plan) outlines priority tasks and activities across the region to build drought early warning capacity and resilience. It includes a list of current partners, outcomes, and key milestones. This Plan is a “living document” to which additional actions and partners may be added as needed.

The Missouri River Basin (MRB) Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Strategic Action Plan outlines priority tasks and activities to build drought early warning capacity and resilience. In early 2017, meetings were held to update the existing strategic plan, including a new focus on enhancing tribal capacity to use drought information and the use of new tools and drought indicators across the region. Before that plan could be finalized, drought quickly engulfed the Northern Plains region.

On July 30–31, 2019, the second National Drought Forum was held at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. The Forum was planned and coordinated by the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with the National Drought Resilience Partnership (NDRP). 

The PNW DEWS Strategic Plan outlines priority tasks and activities to build drought early warning capacity and resilience. Partners from across the PNW met in Portland, OR in October 2019 to discuss progress made since the 2017-2018 strategic plan and next steps. Discussions acknowledged the progress made to better communicate and collaborate in preparing for and responding to drought, and led participants to ask how the DEWS might further facilitate not only information delivery but also action to reduce the impacts of drought.

In order to ensure the inclusion of indigenous perspectives in the implementation of our DEWS, NIDIS launched a Tribal Drought Engagement initiative in January 2019 in collaboration with the Masters of the Environment Program at University of Colorado-Boulder. The project aimed to strengthen relationships with tribal resource managers across the Missouri River Basin and Midwest DEWS regions in order to effectively deliver timely and relevant drought information.