As of June 22, 2021, 90% of the Southwest and California is in drought, with 40% of this region in Exceptional Drought (D4), the highest level. Twelve months prior, most of the West was drought-free, but drought conditions began developing around May 2020. High temperatures and very low rainfall totals through spring and summer of 2020 set new records across the Southwest, and the combination of extremely low soil moisture leading into winter and snow drought through winter means that run-off in the spring of 2021 has been very low.
The National Weather Service Central Region developed 2021 Summer Hazard Outlooks in coordination with the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), and National Water Center; U.S. Department of Agriculture; National Weather Service River Forecast Centers; and National Interagency Fire Centers' Geographic Area Coordination Centers. This outlook highlights the various Summer hazards that could occur and potential impacts across the Western U.S.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March - May 2021. Dated June 2021.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Alaska and Northwestern Canada for March - May 2021; outlook for July -September 2021. Dated June 2021.
NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Program and partners created these Climate Outlooks to inform the public about recent climate impacts within their respective regions. Each regional report contains easy-to-understand language, and anyone can access them through the Drought Portal.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Pacific Region for March - May 2021. Dated June 2021.
In April, the tropical Pacific transitioned from La Niña conditions to ENSO-neutral conditions with a 78% chance of ENSO-neutral conditions likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer (June – August 2021).
As of May 18, 2021, 93% of the Southwest and California was in drought, with 38% of this region in Exceptional (D4) Drought, the highest level. Twelve months prior, most of the West was drought-free, but drought conditions began developing around May 2020. High temperatures and very low rainfall totals through spring and summer of 2020 set new records across the Southwest, and the combination of extremely low soil moisture leading into winter and snow drought through winter means that run-off in the spring of 2021 has been very low.
In this EOS opinion article, NOAA Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections (MAPP) Program Drought Task Force leaders working with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) describe the disastrous impacts of droughts, heat waves, and fires in the United States and the world. They also discuss new MAPP- and NIDIS-funded research that is tackling the challenges of a drier, hotter, more fire-prone future.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2020 – February 2021. Dated March 2021.
Winter temperatures were well above normal in southern California and slightly above normal in all of Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. Near or slightly below normal temperatures were found in parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Much of the West saw below normal precipitation throughout the winter.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands Region for December 2020 – February 2021. Dated March 2021.
Across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) were below normal with La Niña conditions present and a La Niña Advisory still in effect as of the end of February.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Alaska and Northwestern Canada for December 2020 - February 2021; outlook for April - June 2021. Dated March 2021.
Winter started at the beginning of November with the early arrival of a record setting 40cm snowfall. Conditions remained snowy resulting in 66cm depth of snow on the ground at the airport at the end of February. Northwest Canada & Alaska was mostly drier than normal.