The latest Drought Monitor update, which was released on Christmas Day, shows that even though there have been recent soaking rain storms in portions of the Mid Atlantic and Northeast, severe drought conditions continue over much of the southern half of New Jersey and portions of eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. While the map reflects a slight improvement over the last one issued a week ago, it shows severe drought not releasing its grip over portions of the region.
A one-category improvement was made to portions of western Maryland and West Virginia which received near 1″ of precipitation this past week. Following the major drought that began in July and peaked later in September, frequent precipitation along with seasonably cooler temperatures have led to continued drought improvement across the Central Appalachians. Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island also benefited from recent precipitation and a one-category improvement was made to this region. Although precipitation was lighter (0.5″ or less, liquid equivalent) this past week across Connecticut, southeastern New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and northeastern Maryland, a reassessment of conditions and an overall lack of ground impacts led to a one-category improvement for portions of these states.
In New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) continues its Drought Warning. “The DEP Commissioner issues order urging public to voluntarily use water sparingly; DEP may issue orders to purveyors to manage supplies in most affected regions,” the latest drought update statement issued by DEP says. The Drought Warning was issued statewide to New Jersey on November 13 and remains in effect.
Since the start of the year, nearly 1,300 wildfires have burned over 11,000 acres. The average number of fires per year since the year 2000 has been 1,071 wildfires and 4,000 acres burned. As a result of the extremely dry conditions, mandatory statewide Stage 3 fire restrictions remain in effect. These restrictions prohibit all fires unless they are contained in an elevated stove using only propane, natural gas, or electricity. No wood or charcoal fires are allowed, and the use of kerosene or gas torches of any kind is prohibited while this level of restriction is in place.
The Administrative Order designating Drought Warning status comes after the DEP held a hearing to update water suppliers and the public on water supply conditions, receive their input, and assess all available water supply management options. The state last entered Drought Warning status in October 2016, which persisted in some parts of the state until August 2017.
The Administrative Order establishes a formal process for the DEP to work with water suppliers in affected regions to ensure no single water supplier or region faces a significant shortfall if dry weather and high customer demand continue. In consideration and preparation for Drought Warning status, DEP has been consulting with water suppliers to assess conditions, ensure they are fully aware of the situation, and that they are able to work cooperatively with the DEP.
