This section periodically publishes information on forecasts, statistics and general information on the activities carried out by the Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology. You can download the material by clicking on its name and choosing save or run on your computer.

The Drought Observatory is a collection of maps and other figures that monitor drought at present, near furture and in the recent past. The maps and figures can be manipulated and are linked to the original data. Even if you are primarily interested in data rather than figures, this is a good place to see which datasets are particularly useful for monitoring current conditions

The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute, in accordance with an Act of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed the climatic water balance values for all 2478 Polish local districts (gminas) and, on the basis of soil categories, calculated the current risk of agricultural drought for the following crops: winter and spring cereals, rape and turnip rape, sugar beet, fruit shrubs and trees, and strawberries.

The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMI) is a specialized organization providing hydrological and meteorological services at the national and international level. The SHMI was established by the former Ministry of Forestry and Water Management on 1 January 1969, and the scope of its activities is currently laid down in Act no. 201/2009 on state hydrological and meteorological services. The SHMI is the successor of institutions that were providing hydrological and meteorological services in Slovakia from the mid-19th century. It is state-subsidised organisation operating under the Slovak Ministry of Environment.

The Drought Status and Management information system is designed to provide regular overview and outlook of drought status in South Africa. The Drought Status and Management dashboard currently integrates rainfall, river flow, dam level and groundwater level data as the main indicators for generating drought status information. Other indicators such as vegetation condition will be added in future.

This section contains information on recent developments in the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which is updated monthly and consists of: 1) A set of maps, each of which represents the distribution, within the national territory, of the values of the aforementioned SPI index, corresponding to a certain period of accumulation of precipitation. These periods are as follows: 1, 3 and 6 months; 1, 2 and 3 years, and the elapsed part of the current hydrometeorological year (starting on 1 September). 2) A table, showing the SPI values in a series of AEMET stations, for a set of precipitation accumulation periods, ranging from 1 month to 24 months. Email Share on Facebook 0 Share on Twitter

Different indices describe current drought or wetness at selected sites of MeteoSwiss' observation network. Indices are derived from primary meteorological measurements, and precipitation is the most important input. Some of the indices also consider evapotranspiration, which is depending on temperature, humidity, radiation and wind speed.

The Standardized Precipitation Index measures the level of excess or deficit precipitation for a given place and period of time, comparing the accumulated precipitation for that place and period against historical values of a reference period (1981-2010).

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).

The mission of the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, is to provide meteorological information to Brazilian society and constructively influence the decision-making process, contributing to the sustainable development of the country. This mission is achieved through monitoring, analysis and weather and climate forecasting, which are based on applied research, working in partnership and knowledge sharing, with emphasis on practical and reliable results.

The Drought Monitor is a process of regular and periodic monitoring of the drought situation in the Northeast, whose consolidated results are disseminated through the Drought Monitor Map. Monthly information on the drought situation is made available until the previous month, with indicators that reflect the short term (last 3, 4 and 6 months) and the long term (last 12, 18 and 24 months), indicating the evolution of the drought in the region.

The Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM) is Canada's official source for the monitoring and reporting of drought in Canada. From this page you can access a variety of products and information about current drought conditions across the country.

The Global Water Partnership: Integrated Water Resources Management (GWP IWRM) ToolBox contains knowledge and learning about integrated water resources management.

The Tools and References are knowledge. The Case Studies are where the learning takes place (applying the Tools).

There are about 60 Tools: these are the key concepts that have to be addressed in managing water. IWRM is not a step-by-step process to success; the practitioner and the policy maker have to select the relevant mix and sequence of tools that have the best chance of working in a specific community or country.

Case Studies illustrate how the Tools work in real experience. The cases come from all over the world and offer lessons learned in a specific context.

References range from policy papers to training manuals to research documents to articles – an array of resources linked to specific Tools and Case Studies. GWP doesn’t have a monopoly on IWRM knowledge which is why References usually point to material provided by other organisations.

The overall goal of FAO’s actions on drought is to develop the capacity of drought-prone countries to increase societal resilience and enhance their drought responses and recovery capabilities to reduce the impacts of future drought events.

• Awareness creation to improve understanding among policy-makers and decision-makers of the importance of drought risk management; 
• The development of guidelines tailored for specific drought-prone regions and of other technical tools to facilitate the adoption of proactive drought management policies at the country level;
• Capacity development in drought policy through training at the regional and country levels;
• The provision of direct support to countries to implement proactive drought management policies through field projects;
• Building partnerships with specialized organizations and research centers as well as with country-level and regional networks of institutions concerned with drought to promote proactive drought policies and enhance country support;
• Carrying out studies to characterize drought and its management in different regions (FAO, 2019).