For the past two decades, the southwestern United States has been desiccated by one of the most severe long-term droughts—or ‘megadroughts’—of the last 1,200 years. And now, scientists say the risk of similar extreme megadroughts and severe single-year droughts will increase in the future as Earth’s temperature continues to rise, according to a new study in Earth’s Future.
Crystal will be working to implement NIDIS' Tribal Drought Engagement Strategy across the network of eight regional drought early warning systems.
The new maps will help decision makers and the public respond to the current drought, prepare for future drought conditions, and improve the nation’s long-term drought resilience.
The new report describes a December 2020 workshop’s key takeaways and provides a list of priority actions to help both NIDIS and the broader research community advance flash drought research activities and tool development.
The webinar included an update on the current drought situation and outlook, an overview of wildland fire conditions, and featured perspectives from on-the-ground responders about the drought conditions in the West.
Americans’ health, security and economic wellbeing are tied to climate and weather. Every day, we see communities grappling with environmental challenges due to unusual or extreme events related to climate and weather.