Drought Early Warning Update for the Northeast

Recent seasonable temperatures and some rain held drought in check for most of the region except for a small area in central Maine.

For more details, see the Northeast Drought Early Warning System Dashboard.

Key Points

Moderate Drought (D1) settled into a portion of Maine’s central coastline and held through parts of southeast New England. Most of the state of Rhode Island is in D1.
Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions continued for portions of western New York, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions: Northeast | June 14, 2022

U.S. Drought Monitor

Current U.S. Drought Monitor map for the Northeast Drought Early Warning System with data valid for June 14, 2022. The U.S. Drought Monitor is updated each Thursday to show the location and intensity of drought across the country.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor:

Moderate drought (D1) conditions exist in 4.25% of the region.
Abnormally dry (D0) conditions exist in 18.11% of the region.

Source(s): NDMC, NOAA, USDA

U.S. Drought Monitor Categories

Last Updated: 06/14/22

18.11%

of the Northeast is Abnormally Dry (D0)

4.25%

of the Northeast is in Moderate Drought (D1)

Current Conditions

U.S. Drought Monitor 1-Week Change Map

From June 7 to June 14, parts of central Maine saw a 1-category degradation with improvements elsewhere in the Northeast — U.S. Drought Monitor change map, showing where drought and dryness have improved or worsened from June 7–14, 2022. Source: National Drought Mitigation Center.

Animation: 2022 U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions in the Northeast

Animation of a time series, map, and statistics showing the progression of drought across the Northeast from January 4 to June 14, 2022, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. — Animation showing the progression of drought across the Northeast in 2022 so far (through June 14, 2022), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Explore more historical drought conditions.

Accumulated Precipitation Departure from Normal

Accumulated precipitation departures from normal for four locations across the Northeast through mid-June 2022 — Departure from normal precipitation (*inches*) for Portland Area, ME (*blue*), Rochester Area, NY (*orange*), Boston Area, MA (*black*), and Providence Area, RI (*green*). Source: ACIS.

Accumulated Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) Departure from Normal

State-Reported Impacts

Connecticut

June 9, 2022, CT Insider: Eastern Connecticut Facing Drought
June 2, 2022, Connecticut Water Planning Council: Drought Information Center

Maine

June 12, 2022, NewsCenterMaine.com: Western Maine Drought and Climate Change

Massachusetts

June 15, 2022: State Drought Status Map
June 9, 2022, Western Mass News: Abnormally Dry Condition in Western MASS
June 8, 2022, WWLP.com News 22: Water Use Restrictions In Effect for Northampton
June 8, 2022, HomeNewsHere.com The Center Square: Experts Anticipate Drought in Massachusetts Will Worsen
June 5, 2022, Boston.com: Most Of State In Drought … No Relief In Sight

Outlooks

According to the Climate Prediction Center's 8–14 day outlook (valid June 23–29), odds favor above-normal temperatures in western New York, below-normal temperatures in far-eastern New Hampshire and most of Maine, and near-normal temperatures elsewhere. The entire region has a greater likelihood of near-normal precipitation.
The week 3–4 outlook (valid June 25–July 8) favors equal chances of above- or below-normal temperatures and equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation across the Northeast.

8–14 Day Temperature Outlook

From June 23-29, odds favor below-normal temperatures for most of Maine, as well as far-eastern New Hampshire. Odds favor above-normal temperatures for western Vermont — NOAA Climate Prediction Center 8–14 day temperature outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal, below-normal, or normal conditions from June 23–29, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center via the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.

8–14 Day Precipitation Outlook

The entire region has a greater likelihood of near-normal precipitation from June 23-29. — NOAA Climate Prediction Center 8–14 day precipitation outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal, below-normal, or normal conditions from June 23–29, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center via the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.

Temperature Outlook Week 3–4

From June 25–July8, 2022, odds favor equal chances of below or above normal temperatures across the Northeast. — NOAA Climate Prediction Center week 3–4 temperature outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal or below-normal conditions from June 25–July 8, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center.

Precipitation Outlook Week 3–4

From June 25–July 8, 2022, most of the Northeast region has equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation. — NOAA Climate Prediction Center week 3–4 precipitation outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal or below-normal conditions from June 25–July 8, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center.

What We Are Watching

The summer solstice is June 21—next week. The warm season is here. Information sharing is more important than ever for our region. Share drought impacts, and sign up for drought alert emails.

Heat and drought are solidly linked. Extreme heat has been identified as a driver of flash drought events (rapid onset and intensification of drought) via high evapotranspiration rates drying soils. (See this week’s PET chart.) Extreme heat also plays a role as a stressor for humans and their livestock. Learn more about drought, heat, and agriculture here. Check out NOAA's National Integrated Heat Health Information System's newsletter.

NIDIS and Northeast DEWS News

Northeast DEWS 2022–2026 Strategic Action Plan Released.
Sign up for the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network listserv.
The 2022 National Soil Moisture Workshop will be held in person in Columbus, Ohio. Learn more about it and register here.

Additional Resources

Your local National Weather Service office
NOAA Regional Climate Services Monthly Webinar Series (next webinar is on June 30)
USDA Northeast Climate Hub
USGS New England and New York Water Science Centers

Use these sites to keep tabs on drought degradation and improvements in the areas outside of the Northeast DEWS borders:

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

Prepared By

Sylvia Reeves
NOAA/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), CIRES

Samantha Borisoff, Jessica Spaccio, Keith Eggleston, Art DeGaetano
Northeast Regional Climate Center

Ellen Mecray
Regional Climate Services Director, Eastern Region, NOAA

David Hollinger
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.

Special Thanks

This drought early warning update is issued in partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to communicate concern for drought expansion and intensification within the Northeast U.S. based on recent conditions and the forecasts and outlooks. NIDIS and its partners will issue future Drought Early Warning Updates as conditions evolve.