Monitoring and early warning

When drought develops somewhere across the country, news reports often chronicle its effects on that area. These reports can be vital resources in trying to understand the impact of drought in the U.S., said National Drought Mitigation Center assistant director Kelly Smith. The Drought Center has developed a mostly automated news search process for drought impacts, and is mapping and qualifying the results. The experiential Media Drought Index (MDI), now available to the public, may help detect emerging impacts. 

Visit the Media Drought Index

The aim of this step-by-step guide, offered on the UN-SPIDER knowledge portal, is to create a standardized precipitation index (SPI) timeline based on daily CHIRPS data. The SPI is used as it highlights the difference to the mean precipitation during a given time and therefore provides information about drought-like conditions. The script will be executed within Google Earth Engine and will work on two independent SPI calculations. The first calculation deals with the "common" SPI, which is calculated on an n-months basis. A SPI, which is calculated for one month usually refers to the description of "SPI-1", for six months "SPI-6" and so on. The second SPI calculation is based on MODIS capture dates. As MODIS provides information about the vegetation, it might be useful to compare its vegetation indices with the SPI. Therefore a 16-day SPI is calculated, whose start date matches with MODIS's start date.

Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a web-platform for cloud-based processing of remote sensing data on a large scale. The advantage lies in its remarkable computation speed as processing is outsourced to Google servers. The platform provides a variety of constantly updated datasets; no download of raw imagery is required. While it is free of charge, one still needs to activate access to Google Earth Engine with a valid Google account.

The UFZ Drought Monitor provides daily information on drought and soil moisture throughout Germany. This information is based on simulations using the mHM meso-scale hydrological model developed at the UFZ.

Updated daily, the maps show you the drought status of the soil in its entirety and the topsoil, which reacts more quickly to recent precipitation, and the water available to plants in the soil.

The explanations relating to the individual maps and a download option can be found in the accordion that can be expanded below each map. In addition to the three maps of Germany, you can also access and download maps of each federal state. 

Furthermore, animated maps demonstrate the development of drought over the last 14 days and the development of the quantity of water available to plants in the topsoil.

The aim of this step-by-step guide, offered on the UN-SPIDER knowledge portal, is to create a standard vegetation index (SVI) timeline based on the MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) product. The SVI is used as it highlights the difference to the mean vegetation status during a given time and therefore provides information about drought-like conditions.

Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a web-platform for cloud-based processing of remote sensing data on a large scale. The advantage lies in its remarkable computation speed as processing is outsourced to Google servers. The platform provides a variety of constantly updated datasets; no download of raw imagery is required. While it is free of charge, one still needs to activate access to Google Earth Engine with a valid Google account. A confirmation is usually received within 2 to 3 working days. 

Digital Earth Africa is a free platform for accessing satellite imagery specific to the African continent. To make the satellite data easier to use, Digital Earth Africa translates it into an analysis-ready format to provide insights into land and water resources. The Digital Earth Africa Map portal provides easy access for anyone to visualize and analyze the data. The portal provides technical users with a programming environment to conduct comprehensive analysis.

The Drought Observatory is a collection of maps and other figures that monitor drought at present, near furture and in the recent past. The maps and figures can be manipulated and are linked to the original data. Even if you are primarily interested in data rather than figures, this is a good place to see which datasets are particularly useful for monitoring current conditions

As part of the UNCCD Drought Toolbox in partnership with UNEP-DHI, a basic monitoring system is available with nearly real-time freely available data for drought assessments to facilitate the generation of custom reports.

The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute, in accordance with an Act of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed the climatic water balance values for all 2478 Polish local districts (gminas) and, on the basis of soil categories, calculated the current risk of agricultural drought for the following crops: winter and spring cereals, rape and turnip rape, sugar beet, fruit shrubs and trees, and strawberries.

The GDIS is an international effort to pull together the best non-prescriptive drought information from local providers and provide an "apples to apples" comparison of drought conditions around the world.

The Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS) monitors the condition of major foodcrops across the globe to assess production prospects. To support the analysis and supplement ground-based information, GIEWS utilizes remote sensing data that can provide a valuable insight on water availability and vegetation health during the cropping seasons. In addition to rainfall estimates and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), GIEWS and FAO's CBC Division have developed the Agricultural Stress Index (ASI), a quick-look indicator for the early identification of agricultural areas probably affected by dry spells, or drought in extreme cases.

The mission of the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, is to provide meteorological information to Brazilian society and constructively influence the decision-making process, contributing to the sustainable development of the country. This mission is achieved through monitoring, analysis and weather and climate forecasting, which are based on applied research, working in partnership and knowledge sharing, with emphasis on practical and reliable results.

This bulletin is aimed to provide the public with an instrument for quantitative monitoring of drought conditions in Italy and Europe, through monthly-updated maps of the Standardized Precipitation Index, this climatic index is widely employed in order to quantify the relative scarcity or abundance of precipitation. Maps on four areas (Italy, Europe, Mediterranean basin, and CADSES area), and for the 3-month, 6-month, 12-month and 24-month time scales from December 1989 to past month, are available through the menu above (select year, month and area).

Mapping tool of the ongoing disasters around the globe, including drought.  

Jamaica Climate provides short and long term precipitation forecasts as well as drought monitoring products that will assist in making critical decisions about the growing season for crops as well as irrigation scheduling and water management.

The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMI) is a specialized organization providing hydrological and meteorological services at the national and international level. The SHMI was established by the former Ministry of Forestry and Water Management on 1 January 1969, and the scope of its activities is currently laid down in Act no. 201/2009 on state hydrological and meteorological services. The SHMI is the successor of institutions that were providing hydrological and meteorological services in Slovakia from the mid-19th century. It is state-subsidised organisation operating under the Slovak Ministry of Environment.

FEWS NET's remote sensing products and datasets are available through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) FEWS NET Data Portal and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center Data Portal. The products include weather forecasts and seasonal outlooks highlighting trends, hazards, and anomalies, as well as geospatial data and mapping related to vegetation, rainfall, and water use. Other useful sources of remote sensing and climate information include the Climate Hazard Group (CHG) Portal and the Climate Engine, both of which are partially funded by FEWS NET. For more information on how FEWS NET uses remote sensing data in its analysis, please visit our agroclimatology page.

The Drought Monitor is a process of regular and periodic monitoring of the drought situation in the Northeast, whose consolidated results are disseminated through the Drought Monitor Map. Monthly information on the drought situation is made available until the previous month, with indicators that reflect the short term (last 3, 4 and 6 months) and the long term (last 12, 18 and 24 months), indicating the evolution of the drought in the region.

One of the climatic phenomena that most affects the country's economic activities is drought, the Meteorological National System is responsible for detecting the current state and evolution of this phenomenon. To do this, it relies on the Mexican Drought Monitor (MDM), which in turn is part of the North American Drought Monitor (NADM).

The ClimatView tool enables viewing and downloading of monthly world climate data, including monthly temperature/precipitation statistics and 30-year climate normals. Data are available for the period since June 1982, when JMA started receiving CLIMAT messages.

The Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM) is Canada's official source for the monitoring and reporting of drought in Canada. From this page you can access a variety of products and information about current drought conditions across the country.

The African Flood and Drought Monitor is a powerful and versatile web-based tool that can monitor and predict periods of drought, flooding or other extreme events by providing real-time data for more meteorological and hydrological variables, allowing users to visualize and interact with region-specific data.

The African Flood and Drought Monitor is an experimental system for early warning of flood and drought conditions. It has been developed by Princeton Climate Institute (PCI) in collaboration with University of Southampton and Princeton University, with funding support from UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrology Programme (IHP) and the International Center for Integrated Water Resrouces Management (ICIWaRM). The system is based on a set of ground, satellite and modeled datasets, which are combined to provide a consistent picture of hydrological conditions close to real-time, as well as forecasts out to 7-days for floods and out to 6 months for drought.

The Agroclimatic Observatory is a collection of maps and other figures that monitor drought at present, near furture and in the recent past. The maps and figures can be manipulated and are linked to the original data. Even if you are primarily interested in data rather than figures, this is a good place to see which datasets are particularly useful for monitoring current conditions.

The Drought Monitor was established in Montenegro within the IPA project DMCSEE (Drought Management Center for the Region of South East Europe www.dmcsee.org, www.dmcsee.eu) co-funded by the European Union through a program of interstate cooperation in South-East Europe.

The Drought Status and Management information system is designed to provide regular overview and outlook of drought status in South Africa. The Drought Status and Management dashboard currently integrates rainfall, river flow, dam level and groundwater level data as the main indicators for generating drought status information. Other indicators such as vegetation condition will be added in future.

The Latin American Flood and Drought Monitor is a powerful and versatile web-based tool that can monitor and predict periods of flooding and drought by providing up-to-date data for more than 20 different meteorological and hydrological variables, as well as allowing the user to visualize and download region-specific data.

This section contains information on recent developments in the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which is updated monthly and consists of: 1) A set of maps, each of which represents the distribution, within the national territory, of the values of the aforementioned SPI index, corresponding to a certain period of accumulation of precipitation. These periods are as follows: 1, 3 and 6 months; 1, 2 and 3 years, and the elapsed part of the current hydrometeorological year (starting on 1 September). 2) A table, showing the SPI values in a series of AEMET stations, for a set of precipitation accumulation periods, ranging from 1 month to 24 months. Email Share on Facebook 0 Share on Twitter

The North American continental drought indicators are provided here to show how drought conditions change across the international boundaries as an aid in the production of the North American Drought Monitor (NADM).

he New Zealand Drought Monitor is a system for keeping track of drought conditions across New Zealand based on a standardised climate index. The index, called the New Zealand Drought Index (NZDI), is a climate data-based indicator of drought based on four commonly-used climatological drought indicators: the Standardised Precipitation Index, the Soil Moisture Deficit, the Soil Moisture Deficit Anomaly, and the Potential Evapotranspiration Deficit. The index has five categories: Dry, Very Dry, Extremely Dry, Drought, and Severe Drought. It is presented as a map and as charts; updated daily (note, there is a two-day time delay to ensure all available data is used).

Different indices describe current drought or wetness at selected sites of MeteoSwiss' observation network. Indices are derived from primary meteorological measurements, and precipitation is the most important input. Some of the indices also consider evapotranspiration, which is depending on temperature, humidity, radiation and wind speed.

The South Asia Drought Monitoring System (SADMS), established in 2014, is a weekly map of drought conditions that is produced and maintained at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Numerous drought indices - including the Integrated Drought Severity Index, Standardized Precipitation Index, and Soil Moisture Index - have been developed to provide advanced drought monitoring and assessment information for various purposes. In tandem, these indices not only paint an accurate picture of any particular drought episode, but provide invaluable decision-making tools.

The UK Water Resources Portal showcases rainfall, river flow, soil moisture and groundwater data in (near) real-time at a range of spatial scales, for both raw data and standardised indices.

The EDO pages contain drought-relevant information such as maps of indicators derived from different data sources (e.g., precipitation measurements, satellite measurements, modelled soil moisture content). Different tools, like Graphs and Compare Layers, allow for displaying and analysing the information and irregularly published "Drought News" give an overview of the situation in case of imminent droughts.

A description of the current drought situation within the hydrometeorological situation in the Czech Republic is regularly published in weekly, monthly and annual reports.

The Standardized Precipitation Index measures the level of excess or deficit precipitation for a given place and period of time, comparing the accumulated precipitation for that place and period against historical values of a reference period (1981-2010).

The mission of the proposed DMCSEE is to coordinate and facilitate the development, assessment and application of drought risk management tools and policies in South-Eastern Europe with the goal of improving drought preparedness and reducing drought impacts. Therefore, DMCSEE will focus its work on monitoring and assessing drought and assessing risks and vulnerability connected to drought.

INAMHI, through the area of Hydrometeorological Studies and Research, concerned about the country's Food Security, provides information for the user to establish guidelines to enable the planning of agricultural systems, and address climate variability and change. Therefore, information is made available on the behavior of the climate-soil and its influence on the crops of the three natural regions of the country, with emphasis on the variations of the moisture content in the soil through the calculation of the Water Balance (income and loss of water), analysis of precipitation and thermal conditions, as well as recommendations on agronomic practices that can help to better solve the problems attributable to the climatic conditions presented, considering the state of development of the crops.

From the beginning, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to define the behavior of precipitation in the dry and degraded areas of Panama, using 29 meteorological stations of the national network, which was very useful to define the character of the humidity of these areas of climatic vulnerability. Currently, most of the meteorological stations of the national network (77) were introduced, chosen due to the length and control of their records, according to the period defined by the SPI calculation method. In this way, it is possible to establish the behavior of the climatology of the dry and/or humid events, according to different periods, in all of Panama.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).

The Bureau of Meteorology is Australia's national weather, climate and water agency. Its expertise and services assist Australians in dealing with the harsh realities of their natural environment, including drought, floods, fires, storms, tsunami and tropical cyclones. Through regular forecasts, warnings, monitoring and advice spanning the Australian region and Antarctic territory, the Bureau provides one of the most fundamental and widely used services of government.

This section periodically publishes information on forecasts, statistics and general information on the activities carried out by the Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology. You can download the material by clicking on its name and choosing save or run on your computer.