LAND & WATER - Global Drought Overview to March 2024 Overview: GDIS global indicators revealed dry conditions continued during February 2024 across northern and eastern parts of North America, Central America, Brazil to the northern coast of South America, southern parts of South America, much of southern Africa and parts of central to northern Africa, southeastern Europe to Southwest Asia, parts of Siberia, and much of Oceania from Southeast Asia to New Zealand. Most of the continents, except Asia, were much warmer than normal, making February 2024 the warmest February in the 1850-2024 NOAA/NCEI record, globally. The unusually warm temperatures increased evapotranspiration in many areas, exacerbating the drought conditions.
The Mediterranean region continued to be particularly dry. The European Union's Science Hub published a report by the EU's Joint Research Centre that noted long-lasting, above-average temperatures, warm spells and poor precipitation have led to severe drought conditions in the Mediterranean region, affecting numerous areas across southern Italy, southern Spain, Malta, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In the midst of winter, the ongoing drought was already having critical impacts. This follows severe and prolonged drought events that impacted northern Africa during the last 6 years and Europe for over 2 years. According to an analysis tool of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, the Mediterranean region had the fourth driest year in 2022 and 25th driest year in 2023, based on 1940-2023 data; for temperatures, the region ranked warmest for 2023 and second warmest for 2022. A study published in Nature found the Amazon rainforest is approaching a tipping point, including a large-scale collapse, which would have devastating consequences for the world's climate system. The Climate Change Institute analysis tool ranks 2023 as the second driest and second hottest year for Brazil.
A significant portion of the world's agricultural lands was still suffering from low soil moisture and groundwater levels, and satellite observations showed stressed vegetation on all continents. The GEOGLAM Crop Monitor indicated that agriculture was most threatened in parts of Central and South America, Africa, Europe, and southern Asia. The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNet) revealed significant food insecurity continuing in parts of Central and South America, Southwest Asia, and much of Africa....and much, much more https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global-drought/202402
And in Canada -Residents stroll river bed in Prince George, BC amid drought. Families, pets explore the sand and rock normally buried under the Fraser, Nechako rivers' rushing water. CBC News Mar 31, 2024 "It's terrifying to see the river almost completely gone," John Grove, another resident, said."To be able to walk all around is just insane to me.... I would love to see more of a river here." The area they are walking is near the CN Rail Bridge, built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1914, which still has the ability to open to allow shipping vessels and sternwheelers to pass through, although there hasn't been a need in decades. It's also on the land of the Lheidli T'enneh, a First Nation whose name means "people of the confluence" — a reflection of the importance the joining of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers have had to the nation and the region for centuries. Spring is when the city typically braces for flooding, as a melting snowpack sends water levels surging along the rivers — but this year, that is not going to be a concern for residents, says hydrologist Jonathan Boyd with the River Forecast Centre."The likelihood of any flooding this year [in Prince George] is very low if not just almost zero because of how low [the water level] is," he told CBC News With snowpack levels 44 per cent below normal in the Upper Fraser River Basin, which includes Prince George, Boyd says he fears drought could worsen this year. Currently, the basin has been experiencing drought level four on a five-point scale, where ecosystem or socio-economic impacts are likely to occur. https://www.cbc.ca/news/