Sometimes. Many droughts can be predicted up to a month in advance,^1,2 and in rare cases it may be possible to predict drought conditions more than a year in advance.² However, the complexity of Earth’s climate makes drought forecasting very difficult.

Material adapted from: Vandas, S.J., Winter, T.C., and Battaglin, W.A. 2002. Water and the Environment, p. 38-39. Published by the American Geosciences Institute Environmental Awareness Series. Click here to download the full handbook.

Material adapted from: Vandas, S.J., Winter, T.C., and Battaglin, W.A. 2002. Water and the Environment, p. 20-23. Published by the American Geosciences Institute Environmental Awareness Series. Click here to download the full handbook.

Material adapted from: Vandas, S.J., Winter, T.C., and Battaglin, W.A. 2002. Water and the Environment, p. 23,25. Published by the American Geosciences Institute Environmental Awareness Series. Click here to download the full handbook.

Material adapted from: Vandas, S.J., Winter, T.C., and Battaglin, W.A. 2002. Water and the Environment, p. 28-29. Published by the American Geosciences Institute Environmental Awareness Series. Click here to download the full handbook.