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.
This project focuses on improving the usability of drought-relevant information for North Carolina decision makers based on needs identified by the NC Drought Management Advisory Council and…
2018
2020
In September 2023, NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) hosted …
2023
The Western Water Assessment (a NOAA RISA team) publishes a monthly summary of climate conditions in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. The monthly climate briefing is published around the 5th of…
Effective use of drought forecasts is critical for farmers to make well-informed decisions. Despite the tremendous efforts to improve the quality, applicability, and delivery of drought forecasts…
2018
2020
The Iowa Water Summary Update (WSU) is a quick overview of hydrologic conditions in the state of Iowa. The WSU explains the current status of Iowa’s water resources using the U.S.…