Northeast Drought Update

Posted October 1, 2026

U.S. Drought Monitor

Conditions continued to improve in the Mid-Atlantic, New York’s Long Island, and southern New England this week. New Jersey became free of drought for the first time since August 2025. Massachusetts and West Virginia reached their lowest coverage of drought since August 2025, while Maryland reached its lowest coverage of drought since October 2025. However, abnormal dryness expanded in Vermont and parts of western, central, and northern New York. The U.S. Drought Monitor released on October 1 showed 1% of the Northeast in extreme drought, 2% in severe drought, 18% in moderate drought, and 19% as abnormally dry compared to 1%, 2%, 19%, and 15%, 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 September 29, USGS 7-day streamflow ranged from record low in places like northern Maine and northern Vermont to record high in locations such as central West Virginia, central New Jersey, southern Connecticut, southern Rhode Island, and southeastern Massachusetts. USGS groundwater levels as of September 29 ranged from record low in several areas including southern Maine, southeastern Massachusetts, central New York, and southern Maryland to record high in spots like northern West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, and central Connecticut. There have been several reports of dry wells in Maine, resulting in increased business for well-drilling companies. A news report noted that Willard Pond near Dover, NH, dropped to its lowest level in 20 years, with a few drinking water well points nearby shut down. The main storage reservoir for Cambridge, MA, was at 20% of capacity in late September, leading to the possibility of the city buying water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for the first time since the drought of 2016. Water conservation continued to be encouraged in multiple locations, with some communities having mandatory water restrictions.

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

Tourism

State Declarations

Outlooks

Seven-day precipitation amounts are forecast to range from zero in parts of New England to one and three quarters inches in southern areas of the region. A cold front is expected to bring precipitation to the region Friday, followed by cooler temperatures.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 8-14 day outlook for October 8-14, 2026 favors near-normal to below-normal temperatures. The outlook slightly favors above-normal precipitation for parts of New England and southeastern Mid Atlantic, slightly favors below-normal precipitation for western Pennsylvania and southwest New York, and favors near-normal precipitation elsewhere.

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