Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for Alaska and Northwestern Canada for March–May 2024, with an outlook for July–September 2024. Dated June 2024.
Environment and Climate Change Canada, NOAA, and partners created these climate outlooks to inform the public about recent climate impacts within their respective regions. Each regional report contains easy-to-understand language, and anyone can access them through the U.S. Drought Portal.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Canadian and U.S. Prairies and High Plains for March–May 2024, with an outlook for July–September 2024. Dated June 2024.
Accurate drought assessments are critical for mitigating the detrimental impacts of water scarcity on communities across the world. In many regions, deficits in soil moisture represent a key driver of drought conditions. However, relationships between soil moisture and widely used drought indicators have not been thoroughly evaluated.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Pacific Region for March–May 2024. Dated June 2024.
The Workshop for Building Drought Resilience in a Changing Climate with Upper Columbia and Missouri Basin Tribes was convened in September 2023 with an overarching goal of strengthening relationships between Tribal Nations, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and their partners across the region.
Should drought be considered an extreme dry period based on the entire record of available data? Or, should drought be considered a low in precipitation variability within the context of a present, contemporary climate? The two most common reference periods are the full period of record (all observed data or as much as possible) and a 30-year reference climatology. However, climate non-stationarity may render the "all data" approach an inaccurate or obsolete comparison unless a trend is factored in.
From worsening water quality to respiratory and metal health impacts, drought can have profound and widespread impacts on the health of communities across the nation. To better prepare health professionals’ response to the health effects of drought, a research team from the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health recently released a new guide to assist healthcare providers and public health officials communicate about the health risks of drought with their patients and broader communities.
The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) is pleased to share our 2023 Annual Report to provide insight into the many accomplishments of the program over the previous year and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Mid-Atlantic Region for December 2023–February 2024. Dated April 2024.
Average temperatures for the winter season were four to six degrees above normal for most of the region. The eastern portion of the region experienced wetter than normal conditions, up to 200 percent of normal precipitation.
Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Great Lakes Region for December 2023–February 2024. Dated March 2024.
Winter was 2°C (4°F) to more than 6°C (11°F) above normal. The basin saw 78% of average precipitation for winter, with all basins but Ontario being dry.