Southwest Drought Briefing: September 13, 2022

Welcome to the Southwest Drought Update

Speaker: Joel Lisonbee | NOAA/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)

• Welcome to the September 2022 Southwest Drought Briefing. 
• Learn more about the Southwest Drought Learning Network.
• Acknowledgment of land.
• View past webinar recordings at drought.gov/webinars.
• Introduction of the speakers:
  • Peter Goble, Colorado Climate Center Climatologist and Water Availability Specialist; Colorado CoCoRaHS Coordinator
  • Christine Rumsey, USGS Utah Water Science Center

Current Conditions and Drought Outlook

Speaker: Peter Goble | Colorado Climate Center Climatologist and Water Availability Specialist, Colorado CoCoRaHS Coordinator

• The Southwest has seen some drought recovery over the last several months. Pockets of drought-free areas are now seen throughout the region.
• Long-term drought persists. The Southwest saw its third straight year of below-normal snowpack. Seasonal streamflow volumes were also lowered by dry antecedent soil conditions and a dry spring.
• Reservoir storage is a serious long-term issue for the Southwest U.S.
• Given La Niña is expected to continue, the Southwest has elevated odds of a dry fall and winter, potentially leading to a fourth straight low runoff year (but uncertainty abounds).

U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Salt Lake Monitoring and Hydro Mapper Tool

Speaker: Christine Rumsey | USGS Utah Water Science Center

• The Great Salt Lake is currently at the lowest level since observations began in 1847.
  • The Great Salt Lake is currently at 4,189.1 feet (above sea level). This is over a foot below the previous record low point in October 2021
• The Great Salt Lake Hydro Mapper tool provides an integration of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data on the Great Salt Lake.

Questions & Answers

Speaker: Emile Elias | Director, USDA Southwest Climate Hub