Drought Early Warning Update for the Northeast

While rain provided relief to parts of Maine, drought intensified in southeast New England.

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

Key Points

Rain relieved some long-term dryness in parts of northwestern Maine, but both Moderate Drought (D1) and Abnormally Dry conditions (D0) held for some counties.
Moderate Drought (D1) expanded further south into eastern counties of Connecticut and over most of Rhode Island.
Moderate Drought (D1) extended into southeastern New Hampshire and counties in southeast Massachusetts.
Abnormally Dry conditions (D0) expanded west to the Connecticut River Valley in both Massachusetts and Connecticut as it held fast along the rest of the New England coast, Cape Cod, and the Islands.
Abnormally Dry conditions (D0) continued in portions of western New York.
Regional Spring (March–May) precipitation statistics:
- Boston had its 14th driest March–May; precipitation was only 59% of normal.
- Providence, RI precipitation was 69% of normal
- Portland, ME precipitation was 75% of normal
- Rochester, NY precipitation was 78% of normal
For additional details on May temperatures and precipitation in the Northeast, see the Northeast Regional Climate Center blog.

U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions: Northeast | May 31, 2022

U.S. Drought Monitor

Current U.S. Drought Monitor map for the Northeast Drought Early Warning System with data valid for May 31, 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 4.82% of the region.
Abnormally dry (D0) conditions exist in 19.81% of the region.

Source(s): NDMC, NOAA, USDA

U.S. Drought Monitor Categories

Last Updated: 05/31/22

19.81%

of the Northeast is Abnormally Dry (D0)

4.82%

of the Northeast is in Moderate Drought (D1)

Current Conditions

U.S. Drought Monitor 4-Week Change Map

From May 3 to May 31, the southern coast of Maine, Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut, and the southeastern corner of New Hampshire have all seen a 1- to 2-category degradation, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. — U.S. Drought Monitor change map, showing where drought and dryness have improved or worsened from May 3–31, 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 May 31, 2022, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. — Animation showing the progression of drought across the Northeast in 2022 so far (through May 31, 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 May 2022 — Departure from normal precipitation (*inches*) for Portland Area, ME (*blue*), Rochester Area, NY (*orange*), Boston Area, MA (*green*), and Providence Area, RI (*black*). Source: ACIS.

Accumulated Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) Departure from Normal

State-Reported Impacts

Connecticut

May 22, 2022: CT Post – "Climate Education Necessary for CT Future"

Maine

May 27, 2022: Bangor Daily News – Aroostook’s Summer Temperatures

Massachusetts

May 28, 2022: WBUR – State Officially in Drought

New York

May 26, 2022: The Citizen (Auburnpub.com) – The Spongy Moth and Drought

Outlooks

According to the Climate Prediction Center's 8–14 day outlook (valid June 9–15), the entire Northeast has a greater likelihood of above-normal precipitation. Odds favor below-normal temperatures for New York, western Vermont, far-western Massachusetts, and the northwest corner of Connecticut, with near-normal conditions for the rest of the region.
The week 3–4 outlook (valid June 11–24) favors above-normal temperatures throughout the Northeast. The entire region has equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation.

8–14 Day Temperature Outlook

New York and western areas of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut have a greater likelihood of below-normal temperatures from June 9–15. Odds favor near-normal temperatures for the rest of the region. — 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 9–15, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center via the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.

8–14 Day Precipitation Outlook

The entire Northeast DEWS region has a higher likelihood of above-normal precipitation conditions from June 9 to 15, 2022. — 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 9–15, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center via the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.

Temperature Outlook Week 3–4

From June 11–24, 2022, most of the Northeast region has increased chances of above-normal temperatures. — NOAA Climate Prediction Center week 3–4 temperature outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal or below-normal conditions from June 11–24, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center.

Precipitation Outlook Week 3–4

From June 11–24, 2022, most of the Northeast region has equal chances of above-, below-, or near-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 11–24, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center.

What We Are Watching

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.

NIDIS and Northeast DEWS News

Northeast DEWS 2022–2026 Strategic Action Plan Released
NIDIS Soil Moisture Quarterly Seminar Series – Register for the June 14 webinar

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.