Drought monitoring in the Northwestern United States

Abstract:

Drought along the US Pacific Coast has grabbed headlines this year. During this past spring and summer, California has continued to experience a multi-year drought with water restrictions imposed by the state; the governor of Washington has declared a statewide drought emergency; and the governor of Oregon has issued a drought declaration for most of the counties in Oregon. The region relies on winter precipitation, and especially snow, for most of its water supply during the summer. This past winter has been anomalously warm, leading to record low snow in many places, providing what many have called a preview of snow conditions that may become common by the middle of this century. This talk will review the development of the drought in the Northwest, put the past winter in a historic context, and provide a summary of drought projections under climate change.