February 21, 2019
NIDIS and Partners Host California Preparing for the Health Effects of Drought Workshop
On February 4, 2019, the California Department of Public Health, NIDIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) co-hosted a workshop on  Preparing for the Health Effects of Drought: A Workshop for Public Health Professionals and Partners . Part of the California Climate Action Team Public Health Workgroup meeting series, the workshop took place at the CalEPAheadquarters in Sacramento, CA, with webinar participation available.

The morning was an informational session for public health professionals on the health impacts of drought and drought projections, while the afternoon was a facilitated session by NDMC to help participants better utilize a new CDC National Center for Environmental Health resource guide called  Preparing for the Health Effects of Drought: A Resource Guide for Public Health Professionals . All meeting materials including the agenda, worksheets, presentations, and webinar recording are available online.
FEATURED
News & Updates

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the seven Colorado River basin states are working together to develop drought contingency plans that reduce the risk of Lake Powell and Lake Mead declining to critically low levels.

The winners have been selected in the Sub-Seasonal Climate Forecast Rodeo where solvers provided temperature and precipitation forecasts at three to
four-week and five to six-week lead times. The three teams selected as winners will share $525,000 for their accomplishments. Learn more >

NOAA’s GOES-17 is now operational over the Pacific. The latest in a series of the most advanced weather satellites ever launched, it's providing faster, more accurate data and images to help NOAA forecasters better predict severe storms and other hazards.

Active weather across the western U.S. over the past two weeks brought substantial improvements to snow drought conditions in the Cascades and Pacific Northwest while conditions in the mountains along the Arizona-New Mexico border have continued to deteriorate. Learn more >
UPCOMING
Events & Webinars
February 21 - May 31, 2019
Seasonal Drought Outlook
Feb 21
Drought persists in areas of Oregon , Washington , Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico .

Drought remains but improves in areas of California , Oregon , Nevada , Utah , Colorado , Arizona , and New Mexico .

Drought removal is likely in areas of Utah , Colorado , Arizona , New Mexico , Idaho , Oregon, Washington , Texas , and California .

Drought development is likely in areas of Puerto Rico .
Learn more at drought.gov
About NIDIS
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was authorized by Congress in 2006 (Public Law 109-430) with an interagency mandate to develop and provide a national drought early warning information system, by coordinating and integrating drought research, and building upon existing federal, tribal, state, and local partnerships.