It’s been a hot summer in New York City…and a very dry one. Though you’ve undoubtedly been feeling the humidity, we haven’t gotten much of that sweet relief: rain.
NYC has now joined many other parts of New York state and the tri-state area in experiencing official drought conditions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) reports.
@DroughtGov
Though we’ve had a few recent rains, the National Weather Service has shared that many areas remain well below typical rainfall totals for the summer months. For example, the city as a whole experienced 8.82 inches of rainfall this summer, while the average is almost 13 inches.
According to the NIDIS, 34% of the Northeast region overall is in a drought, with 4.5% in Extreme Drought (D3), and its impact is only continuing to expand and intensify.
As of last week, parts of NYC like Staten Island and southern Brooklyn and Queens were categorized in “severe drought conditions” while the rest of NYC is experiencing moderate drought conditions.
@DroughtGov
Besides plants not receiving proper hydration and low water levels overall, there is also a higher risk of wildfire spread due to drought conditions.
The city has not issued any water conserving measures as of yet, but time will tell if that is eventually needed.