Monitoring Drought

 The Standardized Precipitation Index

 Interpretation of a 6-month SPI

The 6-month SPI compares the precipitation for that period with the same 6-month period over the historical record. For example, a 6-month SPI at the end of September compares the precipitation total for the April–September period with all the past totals for that same period.

The 6-month SPI indicates medium-term trends in precipitation and is still considered to be more sensitive to conditions at this scale than the Palmer Index. A 6-month SPI can be very effective in showing the precipitation over distinct seasons. For example, a 6-month SPI at the end of March would give a very good indication of the amount of precipitation that has fallen in California during the very important period from October through March (see 6-month SPI for the end of March 1996). Information from a 6-month SPI may also begin to be associated with anomalous streamflows and reservoir levels.