ISciences Worldwide Water Watch List November 2016

15 November 2016

This map presents a selection of regions likely to encounter significant water anomalies during the one year period beginning in August 2016 and running through July 2017 using 3 months of observed temperature and precipitation data and 9 months of forecast data.

Regional details are available in ISciences Global Water Monitor & Forecast November 15, 2016 (pdf).

United States and Canada: The outlook for the United States through January indicates that water deficits will dominate the Ohio River Valley west through Arkansas and south to the Gulf, as well as the Delaware and lower Susquehanna drainages. Surpluses of varying severity are forecast for a vast block of the Northwest, and Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and eastern North Carolina. From February through April the severity of both deficits and surpluses will diminish and some states in the Midwest and Northeast will transition to near-normal conditions. However, surpluses will persist in much of the Northwest and Upper Midwest.

The forecast for Canada through January shows that the extent of exceptional deficits will shrink in Quebec, southern Nova Scotia, and southern Newfoundland. Moderate deficits will persist in Southern Ontario. Exceptional surpluses are forecast in the southwestern corner of Northern Ontario and in the Columbia River Basin in southern British Columbia. From February through April many areas of eastern Canada will transition to normal, though a large pocket of exceptional deficits will persist in Ontario, and surpluses will continue to emerge in southern British Columbia.

Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean: Water deficits of varying severity are forecast throughout much of Mexico from November through January, with pockets of exceptional deficit in Oaxaca. Deficits will persist in Guatemala, and surpluses are forecast in eastern Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. From February through April deficits in across northern Mexico will diminish, but moderate to exceptional deficits will persist in the southern states of Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and parts of the Yucatán. Surpluses will persist in parts of Honduras and Nicaragua.

South America: Over the next few months South America is forecast to transition away from widespread exceptional water deficits. However, from November through January pockets of extreme to exceptional deficits are forecast in western Amazonas and central Brazil, the Cordillera Real Mountains of Bolivia, and scattered down through the nations along the Pacific Ocean, particularly Chile. Surpluses are forecast for: central and eastern Colombia, northern Bolivia, the Amazon Basin from Manaus to Amapá, eastern Paraguay into Argentina, and La Pampa, Argentina. From February to April water deficits will continue to diminish, with the exception of Chile where areas of significant deficit will persist.

Europe: Exceptional water deficits are forecast to persist through January in Western Europe, Sweden, and Finland, while Eastern Europe transitions to conditions of water surplus which will persist through April. Deficits in Western Europe will persist through April or longer and deficits will continue to emerge in Mediterranean Europe.

Africa: The extent of exceptional deficits across southern Africa is forecast to shrink dramatically in the next few months to merely abnormal, with some modest water surplus in eastern Zambia. Across the north, exceptional deficits will also shrink but pockets will remain in eastern Ethiopia, southern Somalia, and will emerge in western Mauritania. Deficits will also persist in eastern Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The forecast through April shows a similar pattern with some modest improvement in overall water anomalies.

Middle East: The overall progression of water anomalies forecast through July indicates that widespread water deficits will persist throughout the Middle East but these deficits are expected to be less severe from November through April than in the prior three months. However, after April the forecast shows the severity level increasing, especially on the Arabian Peninsula.

Central Asia and Russia: Drier than normal conditions will continue to dominate much of northern Russia from the White Sea to the Central Siberian Plateau through July, though the extent of exceptional deficits will diminish considerably. The Ural River Basin in northwestern Kazakhstan will continue to experience exceptional surplus and surpluses are also forecast for central Kazakhstan. Overall, moderate deficits are forecast for Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and surpluses in eastern Kyrgyzstan.

South Asia: In India from November through January exceptional water deficits are forecast to persist in Karnataka and Kerala, diminish in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and emerge in northern states and coastal Gujarat. Surpluses are forecast along the Banas River, and in Nepal, Bangladesh, and western Myanmar, and are expected to persist through April. From February through April exceptional deficits will emerge throughout Gujarat. Surpluses will persist in the Chambal River Basin and will re-emerge in the Ganges Basin.

Southeast Asia and the Pacific: Though water surpluses are forecast for many parts of the region through January, exceptional deficits will persist in Cambodia through April. Surpluses are forecast through January in Laos, southern Vietnam, Java, Flores Island, eastern Borneo, Mindanao, and western Luzon, which may be exceptional in some areas. With the exception of the Philippines, many parts of the region will transition to water deficits from February through April.

East Asia: Water deficits are forecast to diminish in severity November through January in Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula, and the Shandong Peninsula, but will continue to emerge on Liaodong Peninsula, Guizhou, northeast Guangxi, and eastern Yunnan. Exceptional surpluses will persist in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Fujian, but from February through April conditions in Fujian will transition to near-normal. Moderate deficits will emerge in many parts of North Korea.

Australia: The forecast through January shows water surpluses in the Warrego River Catchment in Queensland, between Port Pirie and Adelaide in South Australia, between the Lachlan and Murray Rivers in New South Wales, and along the southern coast of Western Australia. Mild surpluses are forecast to emerge from King Sound in Western Australia to the western shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Deficits are forecast south of Perth, along the Limestone Coast, southeast of Melbourne, and North Island, New Zealand. From February through April moderate deficits will emerge across northern Queensland and western Tasmania.

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