Under Congressional direction, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is leading an interagency team on the Upper Missouri River Basin (UMRB) Soil Moisture and Snowpack Data Value Study.

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Missouri River Basin for December 2022–February 2023. Dated March 2023.

Temperatures were below normal for much of the region. Precipitation was well above normal in the central portions of the basin, with record to near-record wetness. Improvements to drought conditions occurred across much of the basin in response to the above-normal precipitation, with the region observing a nearly 15% decrease in drought.

The 2020–2021 drought of the greater U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies was a multi-billion-dollar event that had wide-reaching impacts on the region’s communities, ecosystems, water resources, and agricultural systems. Building off of the lessons learned from the flash drought of 2017—the last drought to affect the region—the 2020–2021 Drought in the U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies report advances understanding of drought response and preparedness actions by highlighting new efforts, along with outstanding gaps and needs.