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.

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Drought and Wildland Fire Nexus (NDAWN) defines the needs and challenges of fire managers to effectively utilize drought information and aims to meet those needs and to establish a robust drought and wildland fire decision-support information network. This strategy presents a logical framework to guide how NIDIS investment over the next five years could benefit both wildland firefighters and public health and safety in fire-prone areas of the United States.

Introduction to the Northeast Drought Early Warning System

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.

The California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Strategic Plan outlines priority tasks and activities that build upon existing stakeholder networks to improve drought early warning capacity and long-term resilience in California and Nevada. 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 Southern Plains 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. The Plan is a “living document” to which additional actions and partners may be added as needed.

The Coastal Carolinas DEWS Strategic Plan outlines priority tasks and activities that build upon existing stakeholder networks to improve drought early warning capacity and long-term resilience in the coastal areas of North and South Carolina. This is a “living document” to which additional actions and partners may be added as needs and opportunities arise. The Plan includes a list of current partners, outcomes, and key milestones for present activities as well as indicating areas where NIDIS is seeking additional partners or working to finalize details of some activities.

The PNW DEWS Strategic Plan outlines priority tasks and activities to build drought early warning capacity and resilience. Partners across the region assisted NIDIS, the Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium(link is external) (CIRC, a NOAA RISA team), and the National Drought Mitigation Center (link is external)(NDMC) with the development of this Plan. The Plan includes a list of current partners, outcomes, and key milestones.

The Work Plan is a two-year road map organized under three broad tasks: