Widespread exceptional water deficits are forecast to spread in southern Mexico, Central America, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Nearly one million people are facing a food emergency in Guatemala, Puerto Rico has instituted water restrictions, and hunger-driven crime is on the rise in Guerrero, Mexico as drought withers crops.
The Levant & Middle East: Widespread Water Deficits Expected through October
Extreme to exceptional water deficits may dominate the region, including central Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, southern Iraq, and central Iran. Record-breaking high temperatures have prompted officials in Iraq to declare a four-day holiday and have incited protests over power outages. The heat has claimed nearly 100 lives in Egypt, and drought has helped turn Iran's Hamoun Wetlands, a major fish habitat, into a dust bowl.
Myanmar: Flood conditions dominate Myanmar, Bangladesh
The dominant conditions in Myanmar and Bangladesh for the 12-month period of May 2015 through April 2016 are exceptional water surpluses.
United States: Water deficits may persist in the Northwest, surpluses in Texas
- Drought is forecast to persist in northern California, though some areas may have both water deficits and surpluses;
- Exceptional drought may persist in the Pacific Northwest;
- Severe water deficits are forecast for Minnesota;
- Exceptional water surpluses are forecast for much of Texas, and along the Red River, the Arkansas River, the Rio Grande River, and in western Nebraska; surpluses are also forecast in the surrounding states of Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona;
- A wide belt of moderate to exceptional surpluses is expected from the Central Plains eastward;
- Southeast states are forecast to have characteristics of both water deficits and surpluses.
ISciences Worldwide Water Watch List August 2015
Regions likely to encounter significant water anomalies in the coming months include: United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, The Levant and Middle East, Coastal West Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. This watch list is based on ISciences' Water Security Indicator Model (WSIM) Global Water Monitor and Forecast issued 10 August 2015.