ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the new developments, as well as the current status of drought forecasting in the United States. The US drought monitor (USDM) is designed to be a comprehensive drought assessment that reflects the current drought situation across the country. When the US Congress passed the national integrated drought information system (NIDIS) Act in 2006, the goal of the NIDIS was to enable the nation to move toward a more proactive drought risk management approach. One aspect of the substantial progress in drought monitoring in recent decades has been the ability to measure drought severity through a variety of drought indicators and indices. The drought impact reporter (DIR) highlights several additional challenges regarding drought impact collection. Most drought impact information is qualitative by nature. Drought early warning systems will ultimately have to be able to account for how the local and regional characteristics of the hydrological cycle will be affected by climate change.
