Drought Early Warning Activities
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.
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.
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.
Irrigation in Oregon is the leading use of water at 85%. Consumptive water use (CU), the primary loss from irrigation, represents water that is lost to evapotranspiration (ET) through both…
The Oregon Water Resources Department publishes a Water Conditions Report every two weeks, summarizing water supply conditions and the status of county drought declaration requests on their…
The Oregon Water Supply Availability Committee, chaired by the Oregon Water Resources Department, provides the scientific foundation that decision-makers need to identify and respond appropriately…
These webinars provide the region's stakeholders and interested parties with timely information on current and developing drought conditions as well as climatic events like El Niño and La Niña.…
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed the PRObability of Streamflow PERmanence (PROSPER) model, a machine-learning model that provides streamflow permanence probabilities (probabilistic…