Regional drought monitoring and outlook system: Seasonal outlook November 2024–February 2025

The ICIMOD's Regional Drought Monitoring and Outlook System (RDMOS) is an operational service that produces reliable drought indicators for the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, specifically focusing on Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. The system incorporates climatic models with suitable Earth observation data and land surface models to produce drought indices focusing on precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, and evapotranspiration at monthly intervals for near real-time monitoring of droughts. The RDMOS also provides seasonal outlooks at four-month intervals to support drought management and preparedness processes.

The following brief presents seasonal anomaly maps from November 2024 to February 2025 in major river basins of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region based on data generated by the Regional Drought Monitoring and Outlook System (RDMOS). Long-term average conditions (climate normal) are also given for an overall understanding of precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration and soil moisture patterns in the region.