This summer, hot and dry conditions are already driving large wildfires in the Western U.S. Check out the 10 maps below to better understand the conditions underlying current large fires and what’s forecast for fire and drought in the coming months.

In the Upper Missouri River Basin (UMRB), catastrophic floods and droughts between 2011 and 2017 highlighted the need for more and better water information to respond to extremes from both sides of the water supply spectrum. But there is a challenge: Monitoring drought typically involves looking at hydrological indicators, like soil moisture and snowpack, through the lens of historical conditions for a given location. The Upper Missouri River Basin Soil Moisture and Snow Maps Dashboard demonstrates an approach for communicating soil moisture and snowpack data when only short periods of record are available.

Weather forecasts struggle to predict how much snow will stick around, or how quickly it will melt away. Scientists, supported by the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) are addressing this challenge by improving how climate models simulate snow, a crucial step to better predict droughts and water availability in the Western U.S. 

Next week, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) is hosting its 105th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.This year, the meeting will focus on the theme, "Towards a Thriving Planet: Charting the Course Across Scales." NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is excited to co-chair two sessions during this year’s meeting: Advancements in Analysis and Prediction of Drought and Advances in Communicating the Risk of Drought and Cascading Hazards. 

After a warm, dry October, drought reached a nationwide record this year. Ohio and West Virginia saw their most area in Extreme and Exceptional Drought (D3-D4) since the U.S. Drought Monitor began in 2000. Far West Texas, southern New Mexico, and the Northern Rockies remained in persistent drought throughout the year. Meanwhile, areas of the West in long-term drought, including parts of the Southwest, saw some improvement in spring.