Welcome to the December California-Nevada Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar

Speaker: Amanda Sheffield | California-Nevada Regional Drought Information Coordinator, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

• Welcome to the December California-Nevada Drought & Climate Outlook webinar. 
• State and regional drought information can be found on drought.gov: California, Nevada, California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System.

Drought and Climate Update and Outlook

Speaker: Pete Fickenscher | NOAA National Weather Service California-Nevada River Forecast Center

• Recent improvements to dry conditions occurred in northern California given recent atmospheric river events. The November 20-22, 2024 atmospheric river was a 1,000-year return interval event for Santa Rosa, California.
• November was the 10th wettest on record after a dry summer. This is an example of the variable nature of California-Nevada precipitation. 
• However, central and southern California and Nevada have not yet received as much precipitation.
• El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are present. 
• The current National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal outlook (December–February) shows equal chances of below-normal, near-normal, and above-normal precipitation and temperatures for most of California-Nevada. The exception is southern California-Nevada, where odds lean slightly towards above-normal temperatures.

Q&A

Tools and Resources for your Winter Toolbox

NOAA National Weather Service California-Nevada River Forecast Center Resources

Speaker: Pete Fickenscher | NOAA National Weather Service California-Nevada River Forecast Center

• Live demo of the NOAA National Weather Service California-Nevada River Forecast Center website. 

Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) Resources

Speaker: Julie Kalansky | CNAP, CW3E, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

• Live demo of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes website. 

Drought.gov

Speaker: Amanda Sheffield | CIRES, NOAA/NIDIS

• Short update on Drought.gov, including how to sign up for newsletters and drought alerts, snow drought resources, and NOAA National Weather Service Drought Information Statements. 

Closing

Speaker: Amanda Sheffield | CIRES, NOAA/NIDIS

• Register now for the next webinar in this series on Monday, January 27, 2025.