Southwest Drought Briefing: December 13, 2021

Welcome to the Southwest Drought Update

Speaker: Emile Elias | USDA Southwest Climate Hub

• Welcome to the December 2021 Southwest Drought Briefing. These half-hour webinars will be held monthly for as long as this region is experiencing extreme and exceptional drought conditions.
• Acknowledgment of land.
• Learn more about the Southwest Drought Learning Network.
• Introduction of the speakers:
  • Dr. Jon Meyer, Utah State University and Utah State Climate Center 
  • Dr. Heidi Kratsch, University of Nevada, Reno

Drought & Climate Update

Speaker: Dr. Jon Meyer | Utah State University and Utah State Climate Center 

• Drought has worsened across Colorado and New Mexico over the past month, and drought has persisted across the rest of the West.
• There has been exceptionally low snowpack in the western mountains so far this season.
• We had an optimistic start to the water season, which then “flatlined” in November.
• The short-term forecast shows favorable precipitation for December, but the long-term forecast is dominated by a La Niña pattern that is not good for long-term drought.

Landscape Water Conservation in Nevada During Drought

Speaker: Dr. Heidi Kratsch | University of Nevada, Reno

• Nearly 75% of household water use in Nevada is for outdoor use.
• In Nevada, during the growing season all outdoor vegetation needs irrigation. There simply isn’t enough precipitation. Trees and shrubs use less water than grass and turf.
• Learn more about sustainable landscaping at www.qwel.net.

Questions & Answers

Speaker: Joel Lisonbee | NOAA/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)