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Intermountain West Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar: February 20, 2024

Event Date
February 20, 2024
Event Time
1:00 pm - 1:35 pm
Timezone
MT

As of February 20, current drought conditions vary widely across the Intermountain West. The southern states in the region continue to sustain drought conditions with 88.2% of New Mexico in drought (D1-D4) and 54.6% (D1-D3) of Arizona. The northern states are reporting less drought with 21.7% of Wyoming in drought, 11.7% of Colorado, and only 3.8% of Utah in drought (D1-D2).

This webinar examined current conditions for the Intermountain West and the forecasted drought conditions for Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. 

For more information, please contact Dr. Gretel Follingstad (gretel.follingstad@noaa.gov).

Timestamp
0:00

Welcome to the Intermountain West Drought Briefing 

Speaker: Dr. Gretel Follingstad | NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)

  • Welcome to the February 2024 Intermountain West Drought Briefing:
    • View past webinar recordings at drought.gov/webinars.
    • Introducing the speakers: 
      • Intermountain West Conditions & Drought Outlook: Tony Anderson, NOAA's National Weather Service – Cheyenne, Wyoming
        Wyoming Drought Dashboard: Tony Bergantino, Wyoming State Climate Office & Water Resource Data System, University of Wyoming
        Wyoming Agricultural Community Needs Assessment Survey: Windy Kay Kelley, USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub & University of Wyoming Extension
  • Read the latest Western Snow Drought Status Update.

 

Timestamp
3:49

Current Conditions and Drought Outlook 

Speaker: Tony Anderson| NOAA’s National Weather Service – Cheyenne, Wyoming

  • The western U.S.—and the Intermountain West region in particular—was warm and mostly dry thus far this winter.
  • Recent storms improved snowpack from well below normal to just below normal for most mountain ranges in the region.
  • Drought conditions may be slow to recover as snowpack and runoff are assessed.
  • Headwaters reservoirs across the Intermountain West states have recovered considerably. However, Lakes Mead and Powell remain extremely low.
  • We are currently in a strong El Niño, which is forecast to transition to a La Niña this summer.
  • El Niño can bring late winter and spring snows to Colorado and Wyoming. 

 

Timestamp
31:23

Special Presentation: Wyoming Drought Dashboard

Speaker: Tony Bergantino | Wyoming State Climate Office & Water Resource Data System, University of Wyoming

  • The Water Resources Data System (WRDS) is a database and resource of hydrological and climatological data for the state of Wyoming. WRDS is funded by the Wyoming Water Development Office and is a part of the Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Wyoming. 
  • WRDS serves as the Wyoming State Climate Office (SCO) and, as such, we provide a variety of services ranging from the development of enhanced drought-monitoring products to the online dissemination of water and climate resources and publications. WRDS/SCO also supports a variety of stakeholder groups by assisting in the development of the Wyoming State Water Plan and helping to coordinate long-term monitoring efforts throughout the region.
  • WRDS allows users to view and overlay multiple parameters of climate, water, and drought information and data for the state of Wyoming.
  • WRDS is an evolving tool that provides useful information for users, which helps with drought but goes beyond just drought.
  • The Wyoming State Climate Office is open to feedback to improve usability:
    • What would you like to see and better understand?
    • What makes this more useful for all audiences?

 

Timestamp
45:25

Special Presentation: Wyoming Agricultural Community Needs Assessment Survey

Speaker: Windy Kay Kelley | USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub & University of Wyoming Extension

  • The needs assessment survey was aimed at identifying weather, climate, and water data, tools, and resource needs among technical service providers that would enable them to better serve their clientele.
  • Critical topics for consideration in Wyoming included: 
    • Drought management
    • Water availability
    • Climate change preparation and mitigation
    • Building system resilience
    • Changing weather patterns and ecosystem resilience
  • Research/outcomes of the assessment include: 
    • Conservation improved technologies
    • Groundwater recharge, storage
    • Education/community involvement (e.g., internships for undergraduates)
    • Producer centered research and outreach
    • Co-development of research, policies, and implementation
    • Making resilience actionable (translate data into actionable steps)
    • Focus on education (and buy-in)
    • Improve relationships (build trust)
    • Communication (between agricultural and non-agricultural communities with government and researchers)
  • What has changed in Wyoming?
    • Average temperatures have increased >2.5 °F since 1900.
    • Annual rainfall has increased 0.19 inch since 1895.
    • Extreme rain has increased since 1950.
    • Evaporation has increased due to rising temperatures.

 

Timestamp
53:29

Questions & Answers

Speaker: Dr. Gretel Follingstad | NOAA/NIDIS, CIRES/CU Boulder