Northeast News

Deterioration for Some, Improvements for Others
The U.S. Drought Monitor released on Thursday, June 18 showed drought and/or abnormally dry conditions intensify in some areas closer to the coast from Maryland to Massachusetts after a warm, dry week. However, conditions improved in some interior and northern areas that saw beneficial precipitation. There were generally limited changes elsewhere in the Northeast.

• Extreme drought expanded on the Delmarva Peninsula.
• As of June 16, Delaware had its 10th-highest extreme drought coverage in the U.S. Drought Monitor era, while Maryland had its highest such coverage since 2002.
• Severe drought and/or moderate drought expanded in southeastern New York and southern New England but shrank in West Virginia and northern New England.
• Record-low seven-day streamflow was found along a path from Maryland to Massachusetts.
• Groundwater levels were record low in several areas including parts of Maryland, southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, eastern New York, southern Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and southern Maine.
• Growers in parts of West Virginia, Delaware, and Massachusetts noted drought-related impacts like reduced hay yields, increased costs due to irrigation, and slow germination.
• The short-term outlooks for June 23-27 predict near- or above-normal precipitation and below- or near-normal temperatures for the Northeast, conditions that could pause deterioration or potentially bring improvements to a few locations.

For more information, see 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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