In Connecticut, a drought advisory has been in effect since June 27.
Drought conditions are affecting much of the northeast. In Connecticut, the entire state is either abnormally dry or experiencing moderate drought, with the driest parts in Hartford County, New Haven County, and most of Litchfield County.
Federal authorities said that large parts of New York and Massachusetts are among the hardest hit by the dry weather.
The U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday that western New York, the state's Finger Lakes region, as well as much of central and northeastern Massachusetts are experiencing severe drought conditions.
The severe conditions extend into southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine.
"Severe" is the third most serious of five drought intensity levels.
Most of the rest of New England as well as New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are considered either abnormally dry or under moderate drought conditions.
Over 120 towns across Massachusetts have put mandatory water restrictions in place, The Boston Globe reported. Town are considering stricter measures if the dry weather persists.
From the story:
After months of low rainfall and shrinking streams, more than a third of the state — all in central and northeastern Massachusetts — is in a “severe drought,” according to the United States Drought Monitor’s classifications released Thursday. That region has seen about five inches less rainfall than usual.
Roughly another third is in moderate drought, and the last third, encompassing the westernmost part of the state and Cape Cod, is “abnormally dry.” Only 0.7 percent of the state has no drought status.
In Connecticut, a drought advisory has been in effect since June 27.
Gary Yohe, who studies economics and climate change at Wesleyan University, told WNPR that drought has secondary effects. "Not only are drought conditions a source of concern, but the opposite of drought: extreme precipitation," he said. "Particularly, after it follows the drought where the ground is very, very, hard and cannot absorb the water. It just creates enormous amounts of flooding."
Yohe said drought can also cause a wildfire risk and make it a little harder to grow food.
Vineyards, however, enjoy some beneficial effects from drought: there's sugar buildup in the grapes on the vine, and a smaller chance of fungal disease.
This report includes information from Patrick Skahill and The Associated Press.
