Monitoring and early warning

Drought is a natural hazard that can be monitored well due to the slow onset of events, enabling the observation of changes in precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, surface and ground water reserves, as well as social and economic behaviors.

Why use a Monitoring and Early Warning System? 

Most of the time, the drought is already well under way when it is recognized as such – it is impossible to predict when the drought starts or ends. The early detection of these changes is important for triggering effective and efficient actions to prepare for drought and mitigate its impacts. It is important that indicators and indices describe the impacts of drought accurately.

Drought monitoring shows the current state of a drought and how it develops over time. The level and the depth of monitoring may vary from place to place and with a degree of maturity of the monitoring system. By using the drought monitor, people can follow the development of drought through various stages. In some situations, it is possible to anticipate the climate conditions, based on the study of teleconnections, in particular, the sea surface temperatures, their causes and effects.