Northeast Drought Early Warning Update

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September 9, 2022


Drought Early Warning Update for the

Northeast


Extreme (D3) and Severe (D2) Drought in Southern New England Is Reduced by Labor Day Weekend Rainfall

Key Points

  • Extreme drought (D3) coverage was reduced in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
  • Areas experiencing Severe (D2) and Moderate (D1) drought showed improvement across southern New England, Maine, and western New York; however, little improvement was seen in central Vermont, southern New Hampshire, Long Island, and some of the counties just north of New York City and around Boston.
  • Groundwater response (a lagging hydrological indicator) will be monitored in anticipation of much needed improvements.

Figure 1: Departure from normal precipitation (inches) for Portland Area, ME (blue), *Boston Area, MA (black), Providence Area, RI (light green), Islip Area, NY (orange), Hartford Area, CT (purple), Worcester Area, MA (red), Albany Area, NY (yellow), Binghamton Area, NY (dark green). Source ACIS.


*With a departure of over 10 inches prior to the rain event, the rain Boston received did little to improve conditions there.

Figure 2: In just one weekend, precipitation departures (in inches) were reduced in many parts of the region. Table from the Northeast Region Climate Center at Cornell University

The rest of this drought update, including current conditions, outlooks, and impacts, is available online.
Access the Full Drought Update
This Drought Early Warning Update is issued in partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to communicate concern for drought expansion and intensification within the Northeast U.S. based on recent conditions and the forecasts and outlooks. NIDIS and its partners will issue future Drought Early Warning Updates as conditions evolve.

This covers the following states in the Northeast U.S.: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York.

Additional Resources


Prepared By
 
Sylvia Reeves
NOAA/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

Samantha Borisoff, Jessica Spaccio, Keith Eggleston, Art DeGaetano
Northeast Regional Climate Center

Ellen Mecray
Regional Climate Services Director, Eastern Region, NOAA

David Hollinger
USDA Climate Hubs

Gardner Bent
USGS/New England Water Science Center

In partnership with National Weather Service Offices of the Northeast and State Climate Offices of the Northeast. 

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