For the first time 22 years, New York City is under a drought warning — the last step before a disaster declaration could impose mandatory water restrictions.
In New York, the drought warning extends beyond the city and includes 10 counties encompassing much of the Hudson Valley.
A drought warning is the city’s second of a three-tier system used to gradually increase water restrictions during a drought.
If the drought worsens and New York City officials declare a drought emergency, the city can raise water rates, require water usage cuts and ban certain practices like hosing down sidewalks or watering athletic fields.
As part of the state’s drought warning announcement Nov. 13, Gov.
New York City is under a drought warning for the first time in 22 years. This is the final step before a disaster declaration could impose mandatory water restrictions.
For much of the fall, nearly the whole United States has been experiencing unusually dry weather. However, in the Northeast, where a record-breaking dry spell and unusually high temperatures have depleted reservoirs and fueled wildfires in New York and New Jersey—states not used to battling hundreds of fires at this time of year—the effects are especially apparent.
Ten counties that cover a large portion of the Hudson Valley are included in the drought warning for New York, which goes beyond the city limits. A severe drought is gripping the southern part of New Jersey, where state officials issued a drought warning last week. Over the past three months, the state’s rainfall deficit has been roughly 10 inches below normal. A large portion of the Northeast is currently under state-wide burn bans that forbid campfires and the burning of trash or leaves due to the elevated risk of fire. Additionally, all of Massachusetts is currently under red flag warnings, which indicate a fire danger and are prevalent in the West.
Despite the lack of mandatory regulations, states and municipalities are encouraging citizens and businesses to practice voluntary water conservation. In order to restore water flow from four Catskill Mountain reservoirs that had been cut off, city officials in New York City decided to postpone a $2 billion, eight-month aqueduct repair project due to the city’s historic rainfall shortage. Additionally, city agencies were directed by Mayor Eric Adams to reduce water use, which included limiting water use for fountains and golf courses and washing buses and subway cars less frequently.
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“We have to do this to delay or prevent a more serious drought emergency,” Adams stated earlier this week, adding that “our city vehicles and our subways may look a bit dirtier.”.
During a drought, the city uses a three-tiered system to progressively increase water restrictions, with the second being a drought warning. New York City authorities have the authority to increase water rates, mandate water usage reductions, and outlaw specific activities like hosing down sidewalks or watering sports fields if the drought worsens and they declare a drought emergency. Businesses had to reduce their water use by 15% during the city’s most recent drought emergency in 2002.
Rain is predicted for Wednesday night, but experts said it won’t likely alleviate the drought. Over the last six months, there has been an 8–10 inch rainfall deficit in many areas of the region, and it would take multiple storms to end such a protracted dry spell. Eastern Pennsylvania to Maine is predicted to receive between half an inch and one and a half inches of rain, with the majority of that falling between Wednesday evening and Saturday. Models indicate that southern New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, and northern New Jersey have the best chance of receiving more than two inches.
Rainfall may offer some respite to regions where wildfire outbreaks have been exacerbated by the dry spell. In recent weeks, thousands of acres of land have burned in city parks in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as other locations in New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York. In an effort to contain the Jennings Creek fire, which has burned over 5,000 acres along the New York-New Jersey border, state officials earlier this week asked citizens to voluntarily evacuate their homes.
When the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved northward in late September, many areas of the Northeast saw their last significant rainfall. Many cities, including Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., were affected in the weeks following the storm. Before light rains in November, a record number of days without precipitation were recorded. The U said that 10 broke the streak. S. Drought Monitor. But the drought was barely affected by that rainfall.
This time of year, major reservoirs in the Northeast have lower water levels than usual.
The 12 reservoirs in New Jersey that supply water to the heavily populated Northeastern region of the state are now only 60 percent full, down from their typical capacity of 72 percent at this time of year, according to state officials. The state’s streams and groundwater levels are low in regions that rely on wells and surface water. A drought warning was issued by the state in November. 13, Gov. Phil Murphy advised citizens to practice water conservation and stated that state representatives would limit water releases from reservoirs.
“We need to take these precautionary measures immediately because of the unprecedented weather that New Jersey is experiencing due to climate change,” Murphy said in a statement.
Additionally, the water levels in the seven reservoirs in the Hudson Valley that supply water to New York City are below normal.
