Improvements continue but drought conditions still exist.
For more details, see the Northeast Drought Early Warning System Dashboard.
Key Points
- Extreme Drought (D3) remained in southern Maine, southeast New Hampshire, southeast Rhode Island, and southeast Massachusetts
- Severe Drought (D2) persisted in portions of all 7 NE DEWS states except Vermont.
- Streamflows in northern Maine are now above to much above normal with recent rains.
U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions: Northeast |
October 27, 2020, U.S. Drought Monitor map of the Northeast.
Accumulated Precipitation Departure From Normal (Includes Precipitation for Oct. 28-29)
- Recent rainfall has reversed the downward trend of precipitation departure from normal. However, there is still a ways to go to get back to normal conditions.
State-Reported Impacts
New Hampshire
Emergency Assistance to Low-Income Residential Well Owners: At the request of Governor Chris Sununu, the NH Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) have created a new initiative to provide short-term relief and financial assistance for low-income New Hampshire homeowners served by residential wells that are experiencing insufficient water or no water due to drought conditions. Information about income eligibility requirements and the amount of financial assistance for permanent drought relief measures are available on the NHDES Drought Management Webpage. Emergency drought assistance is available to eligible households retroactive to costs incurred since June 23, 2020. Homeowners interested in assistance are asked to complete this survey.
Maine
Dry well survey: The Maine Emergency Management Agency is conducting a survey to gather reports of dry wells throughout the state. The information collected will be used to analyze the extent of drought, and if conditions warrant support for a disaster declaration. Take the survey.
Outlooks
- The 8-14 day outlooks favor above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for the Northeast, except for northern Maine, where normal precipitation is favored.
- The 3-4 week outlooks favor equal chances for above-normal temperatures for most of Maine, northern New Hampshire and Vermont, and northern and western New York. Above-normal temperatures are favored for the rest of the Northeast. The 3-4 week outlook favors above-normal precipitation for Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, most of New York, and northern Massachusetts. Equal chances for above- or below-normal precipitation are favored for the rest of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
Temperature Outlook 8-14 Day
Precipitation Outlook 8-14 Day
Temperature Outlook Week 3-4
Precipitation Outlook Week 3-4
Current CPC Outlooks: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
Additional Resources
- Northeast DEWS Dashboard
- NOAA Regional Climate Services
- Your local National Weather Service office
- NOAA Regional Climate Services Monthly Webinar Series (November 19 next webinar)
- USDA Northeast Climate Hub
- USGS/New England and New York Water Science Centers
Contacts for More Information
Sylvia Reeves
Regional Drought Information Coordinator (Northeast DEWS)
NOAA/CIRES/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)
Email: sylvia.reeves@noaa.gov
Ellen L. Mecray
Regional Climate Services Director, Eastern Region
NOAA/NESDIS/National Centers for Environmental Information
Email: Ellen.L.Mecray@noaa.gov
Sylvia Reeves
NOAA/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)
Samantha Borisoff, Jessica Spaccio, Keith Eggleston, Art DeGaetano
Northeast Regional Climate Center
Ellen Mecray
Regional Climate Services Director, Eastern Region, NOAA
David Hollinger and Maria Janowiak
USDA Climate Hubs
Gardner Bent
USGS/New England Water Science Center
In partnership with National Weather Service Offices of the Northeast and State Climate Offices of the Northeast.
