This map presents a selection of regions likely to encounter significant water anomalies during the one year period beginning in June 2017 and running through May 2018 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 September 15, 2017 (pdf).

United States: Exceptional water surpluses are forecast in southeastern Texas through November along with surpluses of lesser severity along the Gulf. Exceptional deficits in the Northern Plains States will moderate. In the West, surpluses are forecast in Idaho, nearby areas of surrounding states, and pockets of central California. Deficits are expected in: northern Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, northeastern and southernmost Texas, southern Michigan, northwestern Pennsylvania, northern Maine, southern West Virginia, and the Southeast. After November moderate surpluses are forecast for the Ohio River Valley.

Canada: The near-term forecast through November indicates a significant retreat of exceptional water deficits in the Prairie Provinces. Deficits will persist in northeastern Manitoba and are forecast for much of Alberta, where they may be more intense north of Banff National Park in the southwest and may persist through February 2018 or longer. Surpluses in Southern Ontario north of Kitchener and in Ottawa are expected to diminish, and deficits are forecast for much of Northern Ontario. Deficits will persist in New Brunswick, and emerge in Quebec east of the St. Lawrence River.

Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean: Water deficits are forecast to continue in much of Mexico, increasing in extent and severity through February 2018. For the next few months exceptional deficits are forecast in Nayarit, along with deficits of varying severity in other states including Hidalgo, Michoacán, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas. Surpluses in Central America are expected diminish but will remain in the forecast through November in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

South America: The near-term forecast indicates that widespread water deficits will persist, though moderate, in Brazil. However, intense deficits are forecast for: Brazil’s far north into Suriname and French Guiana; Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte; north-central and southern Venezuela; Cochabamba, Bolivia; northern Chile; and Tierra del Fuego. Surpluses will persist in La Pampa and Buenos Aires Provinces, Argentina, and will emerge in Uruguay. After November deficits will retreat to eastern Brazil and surpluses will emerge in the northern Amazon Basin.

Europe: Exceptional water deficits are expected to diminish considerably in the coming months – persisting only in Finland – leaving moderate deficits throughout much of Europe with slightly more intense deficits in parts of the Balkans. Intense surpluses will persist in western Russia, and surpluses are also forecast for northern Sweden, central Germany, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. After November most areas of deficit will return to near-normal conditions. Intense surpluses will persist in western Russia, along with surpluses of lesser severity primarily in Northern Europe.

Africa: Overall the extent of exceptional water deficits is expected to diminish considerably September through November leaving moderate deficits in the south and extreme to exceptional deficits across the southern Sahara. Exceptional surpluses are expected to persist in southeastern Tanzania, and while those areas of surplus will moderate slightly after November, surpluses will emerge throughout the country and may be particularly intense in Dodoma Region. Except for surpluses in East Africa, primarily moderate deficits are forecast for most of the continent from November through spring next year.

Middle East: The near-term forecast through November indicates a significant retreat of exceptional deficits on the Arabian Peninsula though deficits will continue to emerge, reaching south into much of Yemen and southern Oman. Deficits in the Levant will downgrade to moderate. Exceptional deficits in Iraq west of the Euphrates are expected to become slightly less intense except in the south. Deficits will emerge throughout much of the eastern two-thirds of Iran. After November exceptional deficits are forecast to nearly disappear though widespread deficits of lesser intensity will continue to emerge.

Central Asia and Russia: Water surpluses of varying intensity are forecast in Russia from western European Russia through the Western Siberian Plain through February 2018 or longer, and are expected to be exceptional in the TransVolga region and in the Upper Ob River Basin surrounding Novosibirsk. Exceptional surpluses in Kazakhstan will transition to conditions of both deficit and surplus through February. Surpluses are forecast for Kyrgyzstan, especially Bishkek. Deficits in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are forecast to moderate somewhat in the near-term but persist, diminishing after November.

South Asia: A relatively consistent pattern of water anomalies is forecast from September through May characterized by exceptional deficits in central India and surpluses in Bangladesh, Nepal, and far eastern India. In the near-term, intense deficits are forecast in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh trailing west, east, and south. Deficits are also forecast in Karnataka, Goa, coastal Maharashtra, and southwestern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Exceptional surpluses will continue to emerge in Bangladesh, Tripura, and Mizoram. Some severe surpluses are forecast to emerge near Bengaluru, Karnataka. After November, severe to extreme deficits are forecast to emerge in Arunachal Pradesh.

Southeast Asia and the Pacific: The forecast indicates a transition away from widespread water surpluses and towards the gradual emergence of deficits. Exceptional deficits in western Cambodia are expected to persist through February or longer, but should diminish in extent after November. From September through November moderate deficits will begin to emerge in Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, southern Sumatra, and Java, and thereafter in Borneo and Sulawesi.

East Asia: Recent exceptional deficits in Mongolia, the Korean Peninsula, and Liaoning are expected to moderate in the near term – September through November. Widespread surpluses are expected to persist in southern China from Poyang Lake in Jiangxi southwest through Hunan into Guangxi and Yunnan, and the western Pearl River Delta, though the extent of exceptional surpluses will diminish considerably. The coastal southeast will transition from surplus to moderate deficit, a trend which is forecast to continue through May. After November, surpluses in Jiangxi through Yunnan will continue to diminish.

Australia: Exceptional water deficits observed in recent months over much of Australia are forecast to diminish considerably in the near-term and through May 2018. However, severe to exceptional deficits are forecast to persist through February in Tasmania and the southernmost tip of Western Australia. From September through November moderate to severe deficits are forecast in the southeast, exceptional deficits will persist in Northern Territory’s Top End, and surpluses will continue to emerge along Queensland’s northeast coast.