ISCIENCES WORLDWIDE WATER WATCH LIST AUGUST 2018

15 August 2018

This map presents a selection of regions likely to encounter significant water anomalies during the one year period beginning in May 2018 and running through April 2019 using 3 months of observed temperature and precipitation data and 9 months of forecast data.

The synopsis that follows provides highlights of regional water forecasts.Regional details are available in ISciences Global Water Monitor & Forecast August 15, 2018 (pdf).

United States: For the next several months, water deficits will diminish overall but intense deficits are forecast for southern California, the Willamette Valley in Oregon, along the Arkansas River, and western Colorado. Areas of moderate deficit include northern Minnesota and from Missouri to the Gulf. Surpluses are forecast for northern Nebraska, the Black Hills of South Dakota, southern Montana, the Pecos River in New Mexico into Texas, eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, northern Virginia, coastal North Carolina, and much of Florida from Jacksonville past Lake Kissimmee.

Canada: The forecast through October indicates some retreat of exceptional water deficits, especially in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba where deficits are expected to downgrade, becoming mild to moderate. Deficits will shrink in British Columbia around Prince George, though remain exceptional; will downgrade somewhat in Alberta and along Ontario’s eastern border; and will shrink in Quebec but remain widespread. Exceptional surpluses in southern BC will diminish.

Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean: The near-term forecast indicates significant water deficits for southern Mexico which may be exceptional in Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Campeche. Surpluses will emerge in Sonora. Deficits are also forecast for northern Central America, with surpluses in the southern nations. Deficits will spread and intensify somewhat in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and downgrade to mild in western Cuba. Jamaica will transition to extreme deficit.

South America: Exceptional deficits will diminish in South America over the next several months but large pockets of intense deficit are forecast for Brazil in Acre, Rondônia, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás, western Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, northern Mato Grosso do Sul, and São Paolo. Deficits are also expected to be intense in: northern and southeastern Venezuela; western Ecuador; western Peru; most of Chile, especially the Atacama Desert and Bío Bío; and, Río Chubut in Patagonian Argentina. Surpluses will downgrade in central and eastern Colombia, but will be severe.

Europe: The forecast through October indicates that exceptional water deficits will diminish considerably but widespread deficits will continue to affect many parts of Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe and will be especially intense in Finland, Estonia, and southern Germany. Moderate deficits will increase in France. Surpluses are forecast for Hungary, Serbia, Kosovo, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. On the Iberian Peninsula, surpluses will diminish overall, but persist in many parts of Spain and may be exceptional in the south.

Africa: Though intense water deficits will persist in northern Africa over the next few months, exceptional deficits will shrink in the north and along the Red Sea, and will nearly disappear from the rest of the continent. Intense deficits will persist in Zambia’s Kafue River watershed. Areas of surplus include: Tanzania, Kenya, eastern Uganda, some countries along the northern Gulf of Guinea, central Chad, and northwestern Zambia. Surpluses will be intense in East Africa.

Middle East: Intense water deficits will persist in many parts of the region through October after which conditions will moderate overall. For the next several months, exceptional deficits are forecast for Saudi Arabia, southern Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and southern Iran. Conditions in Gaza and Israel will be fairly intense as well and severe deficits are forecast for West Bank, Yemen, western Oman, Qatar, and western Iraq. Deficits of varying severity are forecast for Turkey and Georgia.

Central Asia and Russia: The forecast through October indicates that deficits will moderate overall in Central Asia, though conditions may be more severe along the Amu Darya River in eastern Turkmenistan, the Zaravshan River in eastern Uzbekistan, and the Ural River through northwestern Kazakhstan into Russia. Moderate deficits will emerge in central Kazakhstan. In Russia, deficits will downgrade in the Caucasus. Surpluses are forecast along the Ob, Irtysh, and Ishim Rivers and in the Tom River watershed, and wide band of surplus will extend to the Gulf of Ob.

South Asia: Through October, exceptional water deficits will dominate Afghanistan’s west and northwest. In India, moderate deficits will cover much of the southern two-thirds of the country with more intense deficits in western Telangana, Karnataka, southeastern Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and central Chhattisgarh. Surpluses will downgrade but remain intense in Bangladesh, and will shrink and moderate in Nepal, though remaining exceptional along the Gandaki River.

Southeast Asia and the Pacific: Through October, water surpluses will persist with intensity in western Myanmar, retreat from northwestern Thailand, downgrade slightly in Laos and Vietnam, shrink considerably in the Philippines, and nearly disappear in Malaysia and Indonesia. Exceptional surpluses are forecast along the Mekong River. Deficits north of Tonle Sap in Cambodia will intensify. Deficits are also forecast for the Malay Peninsula, western Indonesian Borneo, southern Sumatra, Java, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea.

East Asia: Through the next several months, widespread surpluses in the center of China will shrink and downgrade, and surpluses further east in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui will transition to mild deficit. In the south, moderate to severe surpluses will increase in Yunnan and western Guangxi. Deficits will shrink in Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Southeast China. Moderate to extreme deficits will persist in Liaoning and Jilin in the northeast, and will emerge on the Korean Peninsula and Honshu, Japan.

Australia & New Zealand: Moderate water deficits, punctuated by more intense pockets, are expected across much of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) and across northwestern and northern Australia. Areas of intense deficit include: the southwestern tip of Western Australia; from Melbourne through Canberra past Sydney; and, near Darwin and the Daly River region of Northern Territory. Generally mild deficits are expected in New Zealand. Deficits in New Caledonia will be intense.

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