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.
The Minnesota State Drought Task Force is convened to provide coordination and communication between agencies and institutions affected by drought and to provide a central source for the news…
Inspired by missions to connect, America’s Watershed Initiative, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, has engaged dozens of government, community, industry, and non-governmental…
In summer 2018, the Missouri Climate Center jointly with NDMC and NIDIS released the Missouri Extension Drought Impact Reporter. This effort collected over 100 impacts from on-the-ground weekly…
2018
2018
This brief 2-page quarterly report provides a summary of the previous season's weather and climate, including any extreme events that occurred and the associated impacts. The report also provides…
While there is a strong connection between drought and wildfire in the western United States, how drought influences the post-wildfire environment is less well-understood, especially at shorter (1…
2019
2023