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. The need for more localized, targeted, sector-specific drought information integrated into decision-making grows increasingly urgent with each new drought event.
As we look back on 2023, we are struck by all that NIDIS and our many partners achieved to advance drought early warning capacity and build long term resilience. 2023 was a groundbreaking year for the NIDIS Program, from launching a technical workshop and releasing a NOAA Technical Memorandum that examines drought assessment in a changing climate, to hosting the second Flash Drought Workshop and refining our pursuit of research and actions that helps us better understand rapid onset drought events, to building trusted relationships and important dialogues with tribal partners across the Missouri River Basin and Upper Columbia River Basin in September. Long-standing technological investments and partnerships in research and state-of-the-art cloud computing were harnessed to kick-off the build-out of a drought planning platform in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The platform will soon provide the nation with a resource for planners to better determine their drought and associated climate risks, and incorporate resilience strategies that prepare their communities for the droughts of the future. Inside this report, you will see how we are advancing these and other national initiatives, as well as implementing on-the-ground activities across our eight regional Drought Early Warning Systems.
For more information, contact Adam Lang.
Image credit: Robert Crum
