Did you watch the weather forecast today? Do you ever wonder where meteorologists get the information that helps them predict the weather?

A new OAR/Climate Program Office (CPO) Report, summarizing key outcomes of the May 2015 NOAA Climate Reanalysis Task Force Technical Workshop held at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Maryland, has just been published.

New research funded by CPO’s MAPP Program focuses on drought in the central U.S./Great Plains region and evaluates why summer droughts occur in the Southern Great Plains during some La Niña years but not in others, and how several drought indicators may promote drought preparedness during future flash drought (droughts that intensify rapidly) events.

Reanalysis and reforecast data from NOAA’s premiere forecast system are now fully available for the public’s use.

The California Nevada Applications Program (CNAP), a NOAA RISA team, released a two-page outreach document on El Niño and what it might mean for the California-Nevada region. This document draws on both historical records and forecasts to outline multiple possible impacts of El Niño.