In 2024, heat and a lack of rainfall led to widespread drought across the Mid-Atlantic states. For some locations, this was the worst drought the region experienced in more than two decades. NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC), NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Eastern Region, state climatologists, watershed organizations, and other partners recently hosted a series of meetings to capture the experiences of drought in 2024 and 2025 across sectors, as well as the gaps, needs, and potential next steps for greater regional drought early warning capacity.