TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Drought can develop in a matter of weeks, leaving communities little time to prepare for impacts on water resources, agriculture and local economies. To help communities respond sooner, the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology, also known as CIROH, partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Integrated Drought Information System, or NIDIS, to connect drought research with monitoring and decision-making across the Southeast.
“This NIDIS-CIROH partnership provides a direct pathway for operations-to-research and research-to-operations,” said Dr. Elliot Wickham, CIROH hydrologic scientist and the coordinator for the NIDIS Southeast Drought Early Warning System, or DEWS.
Working with researchers across The University of Alabama System and regional partners, Wickham helps turn drought research into information decision-makers can use to monitor, prepare and respond to changing conditions.
Collaboration Across State Lines
While the Southeast is often considered water-rich, drought conditions, including rapidly intensifying flash droughts, are becoming more frequent across the region. These fast-evolving events can shorten the window for response, making early warning and coordination critical. To improve drought preparedness, NIDIS established the Southeast DEWS in 2020, creating a regional network that connects relevant sectors with researchers and decision-makers across state lines.
By linking observations, forecasts and local expertise, the network allows agricultural producers, forestry experts, water managers, emergency officials and other stakeholders to recognize developing drought earlier and compare approaches across the Southeast.
Since the first in-person meeting in 2022, Southeast DEWS partners have regularly shared practices and developments that help each state develop drought resilience, such as consistently monitoring water resource levels and investing in infrastructure, education and outreach. As an early partner of the Southeast DEWS, Wickham first contributed through his role as the water resources climatologist for the South Carolina State Climatology office.
When Wickham began his current positions with CIROH and NIDIS in 2024, he built upon his experience as a partner and continued to support and organize these cross-state connections, strengthening communication between researchers and operational partners across the region. With that coordination in place, decision-makers are better positioned to develop drought plans that address risks to water quality, agriculture, forestry, fire and the economy.
“As a CIROH consortium member, The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s partnership with NIDIS provides a great mechanism for connecting drought research, monitoring and stakeholder engagement across the Southeast,” said Alabama State Climatologist Dr. W. Lee Ellenburg. “Hosting the Southeast DEWS coordinator within CIROH strengthens regional coordination, enhances the drought perspective brought to Alabama’s Monitoring and Impact Group and ensures that decision-makers have access to timely, science-based drought information. The result is a stronger, more resilient Alabama and Southeast region.”
Research and Communication in Community
Each month, stakeholders in the region join virtually to hear updates on conditions, state-level responses, new products and sectoral impacts. In May 2026, Wickham organized the first-ever drought-specific webinar for the Southeast, giving partners an opportunity to provide information on sectoral impacts and state-level responses to the prolonged drought conditions covering most of the area. Wickham also provides drought status updates for the region with the help of Southeastern partners as needed.
In collaboration with the Alabama Office of the State Climatologist, CIROH and NIDIS Southeast DEWS partners conduct research to improve understanding of flash drought. Recent work led by Ellenburg examined flash drought risk and agricultural exposure, with findings published in the June 2026 issue of the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology.
Additionally, NIDIS released “Facing Future Droughts: Lessons from the Southeast’s 2023 Fall Flash Drought,” co-authored by Ellenburg, Wickham and others. Together, these publications identify the gaps in Southeastern drought early warning and monitoring systems by providing a retrospective analysis of the 2023 fall flash drought.
A Lasting Commitment
When communities are unprepared, drought can have devastating effects on natural and built environments, as well as people’s lives and livelihoods. CIROH is committed to strengthening drought resilience in the Southeast by improving the tools and science used to monitor and forecast rapid drought development. Through the work of researchers like Wickham and Ellenburg and partnerships such as CIROH and the Southeast DEWS, new research and communication approaches are improving operational drought forecasting and strengthening the information that communities rely on to prepare for changing conditions.
About CIROH
The Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) is a NOAA Cooperative Institute hosted at The University of Alabama and supported by the National Weather Service. As a unique national consortium with 28 partner institutions, CIROH unites academic, government and private sector partners to co-produce research that enhances operational water prediction capabilities and informs critical decision-making for issues like floods, droughts and water quality. Through its interdisciplinary research, educational initiatives and outreach programs, CIROH advances NOAA’s water prediction services with new techniques such as artificial intelligence and remote sensing, equips the next generation of water-resource professionals with essential skills and fosters public and stakeholder engagement to support federal agency and private sector needs. CIROH transforms scientific innovations into practical solutions and operational tools that boosts the delivery of actionable water intelligence, increases effectiveness of water resources management, promotes community resilience and informs decision-makers across the United States.