The webinar series reached over 330 stakeholders and shared stakeholder-requested information about snowpack monitoring data, tools, and their applications, highlighting efforts by partners like NOAA Colorado River Basin Forecast Center.

The webinar focused on climate adaptation investments, strategies for building more resilient communities, and the challenges and cost of incorporating climate considerations into local planning efforts.

The 2017 Northern Plains flash drought’s swift onset and severity were not forecasted, and it resulted in fires that burned 4.8 million acres and U.S. agricultural losses in excess of $2.6 billion dollars. Episodes like this have sparked intense interest in flash drought and a clear conceptualization of what it is in both the research community and the end user/applications community

What does drought look like in Alaska? Limited climate data in the state cannot tell us when streams are so low fish cannot pass or when flowing water is insufficient to operate hydropower. These webinars seek to gather local knowledge and better understand the challenges of drought to food security, energy systems, and more.

The four-part webinar series, taking place in February and March, seeks to raise awareness of ecological drought, share actions that strengthen ecosystem resilience and mitigate the impacts of droughts, and discuss research and management needs for future drought planning and preparedness.