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.

Below is a summary of the 21 May webinar, led by New Mexico State Climatologist Dave DuBois, on drought conditions, outlook, and impacts in the Southern Plains.

Drought Status

The 15 May U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) introduced D4 “Exceptional Drought” in all Southern Plains states, indicating that the current drought is comparable to the worst 1-2 droughts in the past 100 years.
 

Balancing the Water Budget: Advancements in Soil Moisture Monitoring

Soil moisture is a vital part of the water budget, yet an accurate depiction of this variable has been a serious challenge over the past several decades.

Two-page summary of the April 23, 2018 webinar on current Southern Plains drought conditions, impacts, and outlook and wildfires. The information was provided by Brian Fuchs, Climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, and Todd Lindley, National Weather Service Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Northern Plains drought started in the spring and summer of 2017 and sparked widespread wildfires and compromised water resources, leading to the destruction of property, livestock losses, and reduced agricultural production. These impacts were felt in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, by the tribes of the Northern Plains, and in the Canadian Prairies.

This two-pager examines the characteristics of past droughts over the U.S. Northern Great Plains region. NIDIS is partnering with the Physical Sciences Division of the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory to examine the causes, predictability, and historical behavior of droughts over the Northern Plains. Drought behavior in the Northern Plains is understudied relative to other regions of the United States, and this research will help to lay a foundation for understanding drought predictability. 

This Midwest DEWS Strategic Plan builds upon existing stakeholder networks and activities to improve drought early warning capacity and long-term resilience in the Midwest. The Plan outlines priority tasks and activities for the implementation of the Midwest DEWS, including a list of partners, outcomes, and key milestone dates. The Plan is a “living document” to which additional actions and partners may be added as needed. While the Plan development is an interagency effort, NIDIS oversaw the development of the Plan and is working with regional stakeholders to manage the content.

March 2018 drought outlook for the states of California and Nevada. This two page document includes current drought conditions, a regional climate update, drought and climate outlook, and insight into current snowpack and spring/summer streamflow conditions.

Due to the severity of drought conditions across the southern high plains, a collaboration of drought and climate experts will provide the latest information on current conditions, impacts and outlooks. In this March 16 webinar, John Nielsen-Gammon (Texas State Climatologist) will present information for the southern high plains, which includes portions of Kansas, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. 

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Great Lakes Region for December 2017 – February 2018.  Dated March 2018.