ISciences Worldwide Water Watch List June 2019

ISCIENCES WORLDWIDE WATER WATCH LIST June 2019

14 June 2019

This map presents a selection of regions likely to encounter significant water anomalies during the one year period beginning in March 2019 and running through February 2020 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 June 14, 2019 (pdf).

United States: The forecast through August indicates persistent water surpluses in a wide path through the center of the country in the Mississippi River Basin and well into the Missouri, Arkansas, and Red River Basins, including exceptional anomalies in South Dakota. Surpluses of varying intensity are expected in the Rockies, central Arizona, California, Oregon, and in the Northeast. Deficits are forecast for pockets of Washington, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and southeastern states.

Canada: The forecast through August indicates that water surpluses will shrink in southern Quebec. Some surpluses are forecast near Toronto and Montreal, deficits from Regina to Winnipeg, and intense deficits in southern Vancouver Island. Exceptional deficits will persist along Ontario’s eastern border and in large pockets of Quebec, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Surpluses will increase in Newfoundland and Labrador and persist in a large block spanning the northern Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean: The forecast through August indicates that Mexico will transition to nearly normal water conditions in the north with some deficits in Baja and persistent surpluses in northern Coahuila. A small pocket of severe deficit is forecast for northern Puebla State. Moderate deficits are expected in pockets of northern Central America, and surpluses in pockets of the south. Exceptional deficits are forecast for Haiti.

South America: The forecast through August indicates that water deficits in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and northwestern Brazil will downgrade considerably. However, severe to exceptional deficits are forecast for Suriname, French Guiana, and many regions of Brazil including Amapá, the southern Amazon Basin, and São Paulo State. Intense deficits will emerge tracing the Andes Mountains through Peru and into Chile. Surpluses will persist in central and eastern Paraguay and in northern Argentina.

Europe: The forecast through August indicates that water deficits will remain intense in Northern Europe, especially in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. Other areas of intense deficit include Luxembourg, northern Germany, central France and the Loire River, and along the Drava River through Austria. Areas of surplus include Scotland, central Italy and around the Adriatic Sea, Serbia, and northern Romania.

Africa: The forecast through August indicates moderate water deficits across northern Africa with large pockets of exceptional deficit in Libya, Egypt, and Sudan. The southern Sahara and the Sahel will be near-normal, and deficits in the Horn will downgrade. Mild deficits will cover much of southern Africa, punctuated by surpluses in East Africa and some pockets of intense deficit from Cameroon through Republic of the Congo, in southern Angola, northern Namibia, and western Botswana.

Middle East: The forecast through August indicates that, though some areas will begin to transition out of water surplus, widespread surpluses will persist from northern Syria into southern and eastern Turkey, from the Euphrates River in Iraq well into western Iran, and in northern Iran along the Caspian coast and the border with Turkmenistan. Deficits will increase in central Turkey and on the Arabian Peninsula and will include exceptional deficits in central Saudi Arabia.

Central Asia and Russia: The forecast through August indicates widespread surpluses in the Ob River Basin, deficits in much of the Yenisei River Basin, surpluses in the Lower Volga, and deficits in the Middle and Upper Volga regions. Intense surpluses will persist in southern Turkmenistan but both deficits and surpluses are also forecast as transitions occur. Surpluses are also forecast for eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and northern Kazakhstan.

South Asia: The forecast through August indicates persistent, widespread water surpluses in Afghanistan with exceptional surpluses around Mazar-e Sharif and from Kandahar to Kabul. Exceptional deficits will emerge in southwestern Pakistan. In India, mild deficits or normal water conditions are forecast for most of the country, with moderate deficits in Kerala, northern Tamil Nadu, southeastern Madhya Pradesh, and Uttaranchal. Moderate surpluses will emerge in central Gujarat.

Southeast Asia and the Pacific: The forecast through August indicates that intense water deficits in Thailand and Cambodia will disappear leaving mild deficits or nearly normal conditions. Surpluses will shrink considerably in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia, transitioning to deficits in Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. Deficits will downgrade in Papua New Guinea but will be severe.

East Asia: The forecast through August indicates that water surpluses in southeastern China will shrink but remain widespread and intense in the Pearl River Basin with exceptional surpluses in Guangdong. Moderate surpluses are forecast along the Yellow (Huang He) River. Deficits will shrink in Henan and Hubei but will be intense. Primarily moderate deficits are forecast in southern North Korea and across the border into South Korea, and in northern Japan.

Australia & New Zealand: The forecast through August indicates a transition away from widespread, exceptional water deficits in Australia to, overall, mild deficits or normal conditions. However, intense deficits are forecast for Tasmania, the southern tip of Western Australia, northern New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Moderate to severe deficits are expected from Brisbane to Canberra.

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