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Drought Early Warning Activities

Page Summary

Each regional drought early warning system (DEWS) focuses on improving early warning capacity for and resilience to drought in that region, including examining the role of extreme weather events and climate variability in drought.

Regional DEWS Coordination

NIDIS has developed regional drought early warning systems (DEWS) throughout the United States, where local networks of researchers, resource managers, policymakers, the private sector, academics, and other stakeholders share information and actions to help their communities cope with drought.

A DEWS coordinates this network of key regional partners so that decision makers and citizens can systematically approach drought monitoring and forecasting integration when planning and preparing for drought. Regional DEWS encourage innovation by integrating new, locally relevant drought information, and supporting the introduction and testing of technologies that detect and communicate drought risks and warnings.

Regional DEWS activities focus on five key areas for drought early warning (DEWS components): observation and monitoring, prediction and forecasting, planning and preparedness, communication and outreach, and interdisciplinary research and applications.

Circles representing each of the 5 key components of a drought early warning system

Drought Early Warning Activities

The table below shows ongoing activities related to drought early warning across the United States. Each activity falls into one or more of the five key areas of drought early warning systems (DEWS components): observation and monitoring, planning and preparedness, prediction and forecasting, communication and outreach, and interdisciplinary research and applications.

DEWS Components Legend
Observation & Monitoring
 
Planning & Preparedness
 
Prediction & Forecasting
 
Communication & Outreach
 
Research & Applications

Select filters to browse DEWS Activities below

Description

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the USDA Southwest Climate Hub host these regular short webinars while the region is in extreme (…

Scope
Region
Key Partners
USDA Southwest Climate Hub, NIDIS, Southwest Drought Learning Network
Project Timeline
Ongoing
DEWS Components
Description

The Southwest Drought Learning Network (DLN) links climate service providers with resource managers to increase community resilience when facing current and…

Scope
Region
Key Partners
Southwest Drought Learning Network, USDA Southwest Climate Hub, National Drought Mitigation Center
Project Timeline
Ongoing
DEWS Components
Description

Executive summary from the 2019 U.S. Forest Service report: "Most regions of the United States are projected to experience a higher frequency of severe droughts and longer dry periods as a result…

Scope
National
Key Partners
U.S. Forest Service
Project Timeline
Jan
2018
Dec
2019
DEWS Components
Description

Motivated by the severity and rapid development of the 2017 drought, in addition to inquiries by the NOAA Central Region Climate Services Director as well as the NIDIS Reauthorization Act of…

Scope
Region
Key Partners
NOAA, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), NIDIS
Project Timeline
Dec
2017
Nov
2018
DEWS Components
Description

The Native Village of Elim is working with its partners to develop an Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, and Stream Flow Risk Assessment (Assessment) designed to protect aquatic habitat and…

Scope
State
Key Partners
Native Village of Elim, Norton Bay Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, Native Village of Golovin, Native Village of Shaktoolik, Brevig Mission and Shismaref, Water Policy Consulting, LLC and the Model Forest Policy Project
Project Timeline
Ongoing
DEWS Components