Northeast Drought Early Warning Update
Drought Early Warning Update for the
Northeast


July 17, 2020
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.

Key Points

  • Beneficial rains eased crop stress in some areas but there is still concern regarding soil moisture throughout the Northeast.
  • Streamflows showed improvement in south central NY, central NH, and western ME.
  • Streams in eastern ME, upstate NY, western MA and northwestern CT continue to run low.
  • Severe drought (D2) continues in portions of northern ME and northern NY along the Canadian border.
Current Conditions
U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions

  • Severe drought (D2) conditions exist in 3% of the Northeast.
  • Moderate drought (D1) conditions exist in 39% of the region.
  • Abnormally dry (D0) conditions exist in 43% of the region.
  • Drought status is based on numerous indicators at different time scales.
July 14, 2020 U.S. Drought Monitor Map: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
Outlooks

  • The 8-14 day outlooks favor near-normal precipitation and indicate a high probability of above-normal temperatures.
  • The 3-4 week outlooks favor above-normal temperatures and equal chances of below- or above-normal precipitation.

Temperature Outlook 8-14 Day
Precipitation Outlook 8-14 Day
Temperature Outlook Week 3-4
Precipitation Outlook Week 3-4
Current CPC Outlooks: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
Additional Resources





  • There are also upcoming webinars that will offer more information:



Contacts for More Information


Regional Drought Information Coordinator (Northeast DEWS)
NOAA/CIRES/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

Ellen L. Mecray
Regional Climate Services Director, Eastern Region
NOAA/NESDIS/National Centers for Environmental Information
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 and Maria Janowiak
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.