NOUS41 KWBC 191605

PNSWSH



Public Notification Statement 26-21

National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD

1205 PM EDT Thu Mar 19 2026



To:	 Subscribers:

	 -NOAA Weather Wire Service

	 -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network

	 -NOAAPort

	 Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees



From:	 Wassila Thiaw, Deputy Director

	 Climate Prediction Center



Subject: Experimental implementation of the Evaporative Demand

Drought Index (EDDI) monitoring product for the Contiguous U.S.

on or about March 24, 2026



The National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center

(CPC) will experimentally implement the Evaporative Demand

Drought Index (EDDI) monitoring product for the contiguous U.S.

on or about March 24, 2026. EDDI monitoring product is a drought

early warning indicator.  EDDI was co-developed by NOAA' s

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Physical

Sciences Laboratory (PSL) with stakeholders and end-users. By

providing near-real-time information on the emergence or

persistence of anomalous atmospheric evaporative demand, also

known as "the thirst of the atmosphere", the EDDI product

enables early warning of agricultural drought, hydrologic

drought, and elevated fire-weather risk.



A description of the EDDI monitoring product can be found at the

following web address:



https://nsdesk.servicenowservices.com/api/g_noa/nwspc/res2/16db6

c7147dfbe10f6550c03e16d4394



Experimental EDDI monitoring product will be located at the

following web address:



https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Drought/eddi/



Comments will be collected from March 24 through September 30,

2026 using : https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ExpEDDI_2026.



Questions and inquiries on the experimental EDDI monitoring

product may be sent to:



Wanqiu Wang

Chief, Operational Monitoring Branch

NWS - NCEP - Climate Prediction Center

College Park, MD

Wanqiu.Wang@noaa.gov



National Public Information Statements are online at:



https://www.weather.gov/notification/