Drought Early Warning Update for the Northeast

Northeast Drought Early Warning Update

February 24, 2023

Drought Early Warning Update for the

Northeast

Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions drop to less than 2% coverage in the region. The lack of snow is still a concern.

Key Points

On the U.S. Drought Monitor, Abnormally Dry Conditions (D0) remain only in small portions of central New York (just south of Lake Ontario) and across the eastern two-thirds of Long Island.

This week’s snowfall and rainfall have been helpful but seasonal snowfall deficits remain a concern. (Please see the Snowfall Departure map below.)

Frozen ground in the northern most portions of New York and New England make It difficult to assess the full impact of precipitation events from the last two months.

State drought task forces and monitoring committees take this time to review plans and response activities of the previous year in preparation for future drought episodes.

Figure 1: Snowfall departure from normal (in inches) since the start of the water year (October 1, 2022–February 22, 2023). Access New York and New England Snow Survey data. Source: Northeast Regional Climate Center.

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.

For more details, see the Northeast Drought Early Warning System Dashboard.

Additional Resources

Northeast DEWS Dashboard: https://nedews.nrcc.cornell.edu/
NOAA Regional Climate Services: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/regional
Your local National Weather Service office: https://www.weather.gov/srh/nwsoffices
NOAA Regional Climate Services Monthly Webinar Series (next webinar is February 28): https://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/workshops/webinars/2023/01/index.html
USDA Northeast Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northeast/drought-map
USGS/New England and New York Water Science Centers: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/new-england-water and https://www.usgs.gov/centers/ny-water.
Sign up for the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network listserv

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

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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