Development of Prototype National Water Model Soil Moisture Products for Drought Monitoring

NOAA’s National Water Model (NWM) predicts hydrologic information relevant to drought monitoring and forecasts at very high resolutions. Research is exploring how to use state-of-the-art NWM short-term forecasts of current hydrologic conditions as a proxy to monitor drought conditions. An experimental soil moisture drought monitoring capability is now being prototyped based on hourly, best available, quality-controlled NWM output. This experimental product is being evaluated as a resource to inform and enhance NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) drought monitoring and outlooks in support of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).