Northeast Drought Update

Posted November 12, 2026

U.S. Drought Monitor

There was a mix of improvement and deterioration in the Northeast this week. A frontal system dropped over 0.50 inches (and as much as 5 inches) of rain on coastal areas from Maryland to Maine, allowing for targeted relief of drought conditions. For instance, extreme, severe, and moderate drought contracted in eastern Maine, where over 1.50 inches of rain fell. Additionally, moderate drought was erased from southeastern Massachusetts, making the state drought free for the first time since September 2024. However, another week of limited precipitation led to worsening conditions in portions of New York and Pennsylvania. For example, a swath of moderate drought was introduced in an area from northern Pennsylvania into western and central New York, while abnormal dryness spread in eastern New York and northern and eastern Pennsylvania. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on November 12 showed 1% of the Northeast in extreme drought, 7% in severe drought, 18% in moderate drought, and 30% as abnormally dry compared to 1%, 8%, 11%, and 29%, respectively, last week. Noticing impacts from dry conditions in your area? Reports can be submitted online via the Condition Monitoring Observation Reports (CMOR) website.

For more information on drought in NY & New England see the Northeast DEWS Dashboard and to learn more about assessing drought in the United States watch this video.

Precipitation

Total precipitation for the last week.

Percent of normal precipitation for the last 30-day and 90-day periods.

Percent of normal precipitation for the last 6-month and 1-year periods.

Water Resources

As of November 10, USGS 7-day streamflow was normal or lower across most of the Northeast, with record-low flows in places like central New Hampshire, northern Vermont, and central New York. USGS groundwater levels as of November 10 were normal or lower for a large portion of the Northeast, with record low levels in several areas including Maine, southeastern Massachusetts, central and western New York, northern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and central and southern Maryland. There have been eight reports of dry wells in Maine since November 1. Water conservation continued to be encouraged in multiple locations, with some communities having mandatory water restrictions. Due to low water supplies and increased fire risk tied to prolonged drought conditions, the Kittery Water District paused new water connections to help ease demand. A report from northwestern Pennsylvania noted water deliveries to nearby homes and the use of supplemental water to flush toilets due to low water levels.

7-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow from USGS WaterWatch

A network of wells to monitor the effects of droughts & other climate variability on groundwater levels. USGS Groundwater Data

Fire

State Declarations

Outlooks

Seven-day precipitation amounts are forecast to range from zero to two inches. A low-pressure system will bring a mix of precipitation types to the region Thursday through the weekend. Next week high pressure takes control and brings mostly dry conditions.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 8-14 day outlook for November 19-25 favors above-normal temperatures for the entire region. The outlook favors near-normal precipitation for northern New York and most of New England and slightly favors above-normal precipitation for the rest of the region.

The maps on this page, and additional drought resources, can also be found on the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.