Severe to exceptional water deficits are forecast throughout Saudi Arabia from May through July, increasing in extent from the prior three months, and in southern Iraq and west of the Euphrates. Deficits nearly as intense will emerge in United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Lebanon. Deficits of varying severity are forecast for Turkey, Lebanon, West Bank, Israel, Jordan, Yemen, Oman, and eastern Iran. Surpluses may persist in northeastern Iraq into northwestern Iran. The forecast for August through October shows a distribution pattern similar to May through July.
Southeast Asia & the Pacific: Water deficits forecast for Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, & Thailand
From May through July moderate to severe water deficits are forecast to emerge in eastern Myanmar and western Thailand. Exceptional deficits in Papua New Guinea will downgrade but severe to extreme deficits will persist and emerge farther west into Papua, Indonesia. Moderate deficits are forecast to emerge in the western two-thirds of Indonesian Borneo. Surpluses reaching exceptional severity will persist in Sumbawa and Flores Islands, Indonesia, and moderate surpluses are forecast for northeastern Borneo and southern Philippines. After July deficits in the region will downgrade and surpluses will nearly disappear.
Central Asia & Russia: Water surpluses forecast for Volga River Basin, & from Ob to Tom River
Widespread exceptional water deficits in northern Russia observed in the prior three months are forecast to retreat May through July. However, drier than normal conditions will persist from the Yamal Peninsula to the Sea of Okhotsk. Exceptional surpluses are forecast in the Volga River Basin, the Irtysh, and between the Ob and the Tom Rivers. Surpluses will continue to emerge in many parts of Kazakhstan and are also forecast for eastern Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Moderate deficits are forecast for Turkmenistan and central Uzbekistan. Beyond July the forecast shows a similar geographic distribution of anomalies but with some changes in conditions.
Australia & New Zealand: Severe deficits forecast in Tasmania
The May through July forecast indicates that Australia will transition away from widespread and intense water deficits observed February through April. However, severe to exceptional deficits are forecast for southwestern Western Australia, the Darwin Region of Northern Territory, Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, much of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, and New Caledonia. Surpluses are expected to persist in northeastern Queensland, and a large block of surpluses in eastern Kimberly, Western Australia will transition to both deficits and surpluses. After July deficits will continue to retreat in Australia, except in Tasmania, leaving much of the country in near-normal conditions.
South Asia: Water deficits forecast for Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh, coastal Maharashtra
Water conditions in the region are forecast to improve considerably in the next three months. In general, deficits in India are expected to downgrade in intensity though severe to extreme deficits are forecast in the south, affecting Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh, and coastal Maharashtra. Deficits will diminish in Pakistan as well. Moderate to exceptional deficits are forecast for western Afghanistan. Exceptional surpluses will persist in Jammu and Kashmir, and moderate to extreme surpluses in eastern Afghanistan, northeastern Pakistan, and northeastern Bangladesh. Surpluses are also forecast along the Kali Gandaki River in Nepal. Overall, deficits in the region will continue to diminish after July.





