Northeast Drought Status

Beneficial Precipitation Falls but Significant Deficits and Drought Persist
Most areas saw beneficial precipitation at the end of November, but the first few days of December have generally produced limited precipitation. While this precipitation is helpful, drought conditions persist as significant deficits remain in areas closer to the coast. Between September 1 and December 4, precipitation deficits ranged from 6 to 10 inches below normal for sites like Baltimore (7.16-inch deficit), Philadelphia (8.02-inch deficit), Newark (7.67-inch deficit), Central Park (7.91-inch deficit), Hartford (9.32-inch deficit), and Boston (6.15-inch deficit). The precipitation continued to chip away at dryness in interior locations.

• Extreme (D3) drought persisted in several coastal areas, contracting slightly in Massachusetts and Delaware.
• Severe (D2) drought lingered from Maryland to New Hampshire but improved in much of West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.
• Moderate (D1) drought expanded in northern New England but contracted in interior parts of the Northeast.
• Abnormal dryness spread in northeastern New York but eased in parts of northwestern New York and western Pennsylvania.
• Only 2.31% of the Northeast was free of drought and abnormal dryness, the second-lowest percentage since the U.S. Drought Monitor began in 2000.
• Record low or near-record low streamflow, groundwater levels, and reservoir levels persisted.
• Wildfire risk and fire activity was reduced in many locations.
• Most areas are expected to see wetter-than-normal weather during the 6-10 day period from December 10-14, which could pause drought deterioration or perhaps slightly improve conditions.

The NRCC’s full weekly drought update can be found here.

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