Evaluation of Hybrid Wavelet Models for Regional Drought Forecasting

Drought forecasting is essential for risk management and preparedness of drought mitigation measures. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid technique for regional drought forecasting. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and two wavelet techniques, namely, Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT), were evaluated in drought forecasting up to a lead time of six months. Standard error metrics were used to select optimal model parameters, such as number of inputs, number of hidden neurons, level of decomposition, and number of mother wavelets. Additionally, the performance of various mother wavelets, including the Haar wavelet (db1) and 19 Daubechies wavelets (db1 to db20), were evaluated. The results indicated that the ANN model produced better forecasts than the MLR model, whereas the hybrid models outperformed both ANN and MLR models, which failed to predict the SPI values for a lead time greater than two months. The performance of all the models was found to improve as the timescale increased from 3 to 12 months. However, all the models’ performances deteriorated as the lead time increased. The hybrid WPT-MLR was the best model for the study area. The findings indicated that a hybrid WPT-MLR model could be used for drought early warning systems in the study area.