Northeast News

More of the Same for Most
While most of the Northeast saw little change drought and/or abnormally dry conditions this week, there were a few areas where conditions either deteriorated or improved. Deterioration was driven in large part by significantly reduced streamflow, while improvement was due to locally beneficial precipitation. Groundwater levels continued to be at record to near record lows in multiple locations.

• Severe coverage expanded slightly in northwestern New Jersey.
• Moderate drought and/or abnormal dryness grew in coverage in western Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and southeastern New York.
• Moderate drought and/or abnormal dryness contracted in southeastern West Virginia, southeastern Delaware, and northern New York.
• Seven-day streamflow was normal or lower for much of the Northeast, with record low flows in a few spots like southern New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and eastern New York.
• Groundwater levels remained below normal in multiple areas, with record low levels persisting in parts of northern New England, western New York, northeastern and south-central Pennsylvania, and much of New Jersey.
• The short-term outlooks for December 16-20 favor near-normal temperatures and near- to above-normal precipitation for a large portion of the Northeast.

For the latest information, visit the Northeast DEWS Dashboard (to see the full Northeast, click on the grayed-out Pennsylvania in the map in the top left) and the Northeast Drought Update. Submit drought impact reports via the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) page.

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