Northeast Drought Status

Coastal Improvement; Inland Deterioration
It was another week with both improvement and deterioration across the Northeast. Some northern and coastal areas saw beneficial rainfall, allowing drought to contract. Despite this improvement, several sites along the Interstate 95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic continue to have notable long-term precipitation deficits. Meanwhile, some southern and interior areas missed out, leading to drought expansion. Multiple locations have seen only 25% to 50% of normal precipitation so far this March. For instance, through March 27, Elkins, WV, had received 1.05 inches, which was 30% of normal and ranked as the site’s fifth driest such period.

• Extreme (D3) drought contracted slightly in southern New Jersey.
• Severe (D2) drought shrank in southeastern New Jersey and Delaware but spread in south-central Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and eastern West Virginia.
• Moderate (D1) drought eased in spots along a path from southeastern Maryland to eastern Maine but expanded in south-central Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and West Virginia.
• Abnormal dryness (D0) was erased from parts of northern New England and northern New York but grew in interior areas from West Virginia to western New York.
• Record-low streamflow was present in parts of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
• Record low groundwater levels were found in seven out of the 12 Northeast states, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and western New York.
• Reservoir levels in New Jersey increased slightly but remained below or near average.
• The outlooks for April 2 to 10 call for above-normal precipitation, which could pause deterioration or even lead to some improvement in areas that see sufficient amounts.
• More precipitation will be needed to offset increasing evapotranspiration rates as we get further into spring.

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

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