ISCIENCES WORLDWIDE WATER WATCH LIST JULY 2019

15 July 2019

ISciences_Worldwide_Water_Watch_List_2019_July

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

United States: Through September, water surpluses along the Mississippi River, its tributaries, and states on the western bank of the river will moderate, but significant surpluses are forecast in a column from South Dakota through central and eastern Texas and will include extreme to exceptional anomalies in many areas, particularly South Dakota. Areas of deficit include the Pacific Northwest, northwestern Minnesota, the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and along the Atlantic coast in North Carolina.

Canada: The forecast through September indicates that moderate water surpluses will persist from Lake Huron to Toronto but surpluses in southern Quebec, including the Gatineau River Watershed and Montreal, will nearly disappear. Moderate to extreme deficits will persist in southern Manitoba. Exceptional deficits are expected in southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and surpluses in the southern Columbia Mountains.

Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean: The forecast through September indicates nearly normal water conditions in northern Mexico with some mild deficits in Baja and moderate surpluses in northeastern Sonora, northern Coahuila, and northern San Luis Potosí. Moderate to exceptional deficits are forecast from Guanajuato through Chiapas. Deficits are expected in central Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti. Moderate surpluses are forecast for southern Nicaragua and central Panama.

South America: The forecast through September indicates that the extent of intense water deficits will diminish across the northern nations but will persist in French Guiana and Suriname. In Brazil, intense deficits will persist in Amapá, the southern Amazon Basin, Mato Grosso, Matto Grosso do Sul, western São Paulo State, eastern Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo. Areas of surplus include central Paraguay and northern Argentina.

Europe: The forecast through September indicates widespread water deficits throughout much of Europe, with exceptional anomalies in Finland, the Baltics, Belarus, southern Germany, Belgium, Austria, and Extremadura, Spain. Many rivers will be affected as well, with exceptional deficits on the Danube and Drava, and severe deficits on the Rhine, Allier, Dordogne, and Loire Rivers.

Africa: The forecast through September indicates that water deficits will shrink and downgrade overall, leaving moderate to severe deficits across the north and generally milder deficits in the south, punctuated by more intense pockets. Areas of exceptional deficit include Ethiopia west of Addis Ababa, coastal Côte d’Ivoire, southeastern Nigeria, and pockets of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Surpluses are forecast in Tanzania, Uganda, and south of Durban and west of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Middle East: The forecast through September indicates that widespread water surpluses will persist from southeastern Turkey through northern Iraq into northwestern Iran and along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Surpluses will remain intense, but conditions of both deficit and surplus are also forecast as transitions occur. Deficits are forecast for the southern Arabian Peninsula and will be especially intense in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia.

Central Asia and Russia: The forecast through September indicates that surpluses will shrink in Russia’s Northern European Plain and persist in the Ob River Basin. Intense deficits are forecast for much of the Yenisei River Basin. Intense surpluses in southern Turkmenistan will begin to transition, with conditions of both surplus and deficit as deficits emerge. Deficits will also emerge in northeastern Uzbekistan.

South Asia: The forecast through September indicates that many parts of India will return to normal water conditions. However, deficits are forecast in southern Karnataka and in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Moderate surpluses will increase in Gujarat and western Maharashtra. Widespread, intense surpluses will persist in Afghanistan, and surpluses in Pakistan will shrink but persist.

Southeast Asia and the Pacific: The forecast through September indicates that water deficits will downgrade in Thailand and nearly disappear in Cambodia. Surpluses will shrink and downgrade in Southeast Asia leaving moderate anomalies in southern Cambodia and in the Mekong Delta. Moderate to severe deficits will emerge in Indonesian Borneo, and deficits in Papua New Guinea will diminish.

East Asia: The forecast through September indicates that water surpluses will shrink and moderate in southeastern China, downgrade in Qinghai and western Tibet, and moderate in northeastern China. Deficits will shrink in Sichuan and in Yunnan but remain intense, and intense deficits in Henan and Shandong will disappear. Deficits in central Korea will shrink but remain severe in southern North Korea and into South Korea around Seoul. Deficits could be exceptional near Pyongyang.

Australia & New Zealand:The forecast through September indicates mild water deficits in much of Australia with more intense anomalies in Tasmania, surrounding Melbourne, in the eastern Murray-Darling Basin and reaching north to the Darling Downs and Brisbane. In New Zealand, deficits are forecast on North Island. Extreme to exceptional deficits will persist in New Caledonia.

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