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.
In September 2022, NOAA partnered with the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), through the University of Minnesota, to develop a pilot project focused on…
This series of bi-monthly drought and climate outlook webinars is designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in California and Nevada with timely information on current drought…
Led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service, this coordination group converses bi-weekly to monthly to discuss the conditions in California-Nevada…
Southeast Alaska, home to the northernmost temperate rain forest in the world, experienced frequent and cumulatively significant below-normal precipitation starting in autumn 2016, impacting…
2020
2022
Central Indiana is the second regional area to be studied on account of the progress already made by the Central Indiana Drinking Water Collaborative (“Collaborative”); a group of water utilities…
2019
2020