As fall rains shower Northern Nevada and the first snow fall for Lake Tahoe is on the books for September 19, 2022, it is easy to forget that Nevada remains in a long-standing drought. However, it is important that Nevada continue to take measures to prepare and stay informed about these long-term conditions, even as they begin to improve.
How can Nevadans be best prepared to live with drought? A number of state and federal resources are available to all Nevadans to track, understand, and adapt to long term drought conditions. These resources include:
State Drought Reports: The State Climate Office and University of Nevada Reno publishes a monthly 2-3 page drought report with updated drought conditions and projects. The most recent report can be found here.
US Drought Monitor: Similarly, the US Drought Monitor updates current drought conditions for all states weekly. The monitor page for Nevada can be found here.
Nevada Drought Planning Workshops: Online and tabletop workshops are held periodically and are announced on the National Integrated Drought Information System, published by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Nevada page is available here, including links to further information about upcoming drought webinars and workshops.
United States Dept. of Agriculture Mapping: USDA offers a number of drought mapping tools to track and project drought. These include the USDA Snotel Mapping system, which maps snowpack, an important seasonal contributor to water recharge in the arid west and the Streamflow Forecast Map, which predicts seasonal streamflow and various points of diversion to allow users to estimate if streamflow will be high enough to meet minimum flow requirements and any senior in-stream water rights that may preclude junior surface water diversion.
These are just some of the many tools available to stay informed about drought. Want to learn more about drought and drought tools? Check out our on-demand Western State drought tools webinar here.
