ISCIENCES WORLDWIDE WATER WATCH LIST APRIL 2019

15 April 2019

This map presents a selection of regions likely to encounter significant water anomalies during the one year period beginning in January 2019 and running through December 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 Watch List April 15, 2019 (pdf).

United States: The forecast through June indicates that surpluses East of the Mississippi will nearly disappear. Moderate deficits are forecast for the South Atlantic States and parts of the Deep South. Surpluses are forecast in the center of the country radiating from Nebraska and Iowa and will emerge in the Rockies with intense anomalies in many places, particularly Colorado. Primarily moderate surpluses are forecast for nearly all of California as well as northern Arizona and much of Oregon.

Canada: The forecast through June indicates that exceptional deficits will retreat from Quebec’s Ottawa-Gatineau Watershed; surpluses in Northern Ontario will transition to deficit; and deficits in the Middle Reaches of the Athabasca River Watershed in Alberta will become exceptional. Primarily moderate deficits are forecast across southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Intense surpluses will emerge in the Columbia River Basin in British Columbia, and deficits near Vancouver will persist but downgrade.

Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean: The forecast through June indicates water deficits in Baja, Mexico, coastal Sonora, southern Chihuahua, the Pacific Coast from southern Sinaloa through Chiapas, and the Yucatan Peninsula. Areas of surplus include Coahuila, the southern border of Chihuahua and Sonora, and pockets in the center of the country. Some moderate deficits are expected Central America, Haiti, and Dominican Republic.

South America: The forecast through June indicates that water deficits in Brazil will shrink, with nearly normal conditions in Pará and Amazonas, but intense deficits are forecast for Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, western São Paulo, and along many rivers. Surpluses will increase in northeastern states. Exceptional deficits will trace a path along the Pacific Coast from Lima, Peru reaching almost to Santiago, Chile. Surpluses will increase and intensify in Paraguay.

Europe: The forecast through June indicates widespread water deficits of varying intensity throughout much of Europe, including exceptional deficits in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus north of Minsk, southern Sweden, and eastern Croatia. Deficits will moderate in Spain but intensify in central France, especially along the Loire and Dordogne Rivers. Surpluses are forecast for pockets of Switzerland and Austria, southern Umbria in central Italy, northwestern Sweden, and Murmansk, Russia.

Africa: The forecast through June indicates that water deficits will downgrade in the southern half of the continent and its midsection but will intensify across the north. In the Horn, deficits will downgrade but exceptional deficits are forecast for Somalia from the Jubba River past the Shabelle River. Intense deficits are expected in Zambia, Zimbabwe, southwestern Angola, and the Okavango Delta. Areas of surplus include western Tanzania and south-central Chad.

Middle East: The forecast through June indicates that widespread water surpluses will persist from northern Syria into southern Turkey, from the Euphrates River in Iraq well into western Iran, and in northern Iran along the coast. Deficits will downgrade on the Arabian Peninsula but will remain widespread. Central and northern Turkey will transition from surplus to moderate deficit.

Central Asia and Russia: The forecast through June indicates that water surpluses in the Ob River Basin of Russia will shrink and moderate, and intense deficits will emerge in the Tom River Basin’s southern reaches. Intense deficits will also emerge in the Yenisei River Basin. Severe deficits are forecast for western Kazakhstan, and eastern Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley. Surpluses are expected in eastern Kyrgyzstan and southern Turkmenistan.

South Asia: The forecast through June indicates that intense water deficits will emerge throughout much of India south and west of the Gangetic Plain. Intense surpluses are forecast in northern India, northern Pakistan, and much of Afghanistan. Anomalies will reach exceptional intensity in many of these regions. Deficits will emerge in southern Afghanistan and will be severe in the southwest. Surpluses are forecast in Nepal, Bangladesh along the Padma River and in the northeast, and nearby regions of India.

Southeast Asia and the Pacific: The forecast through June indicates that water deficits in Thailand and Cambodia will downgrade but will be widespread and severe, and deficits will emerge in much of Southeast Asia. Moderate to severe deficits are expected in the Philippines, northeastern Borneo, and scattered pockets of Indonesia. Exceptional deficits will persist around the Gulf of Papua in Papua New Guinea. Surpluses will downgrade slightly in north-central New Guinea around Jayapura.

East Asia: The forecast through June indicates that widespread water surpluses will persist in southeast China but will moderate overall. However, anomalies will be extreme to exceptional in Guangxi and into western Guangdong. Intense surpluses will persist in the Tibetan Plateau. Intense deficits are forecast for Mongolia and from western Inner Mongolia in China across central Xinjiang. Moderate deficits will emerge in North Korea, and moderate to extreme deficits are forecast for Japan.

Australia & New Zealand: The forecast through June indicates that the exceptional water deficits that have dominated much of Australia in prior months will nearly disappear, though intense anomalies are forecast in the north. Primarily moderate deficits are expected from Adelaide through Victoria and along rivers in the Murray-Darling system. Deficits are expected to be more intense in northeastern New South Wales, Tasmania, the southwestern tip of Western Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.

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