Drought conditions in the tri-state are getting worse, and there's not a ton of mercifully rainy relief in the forecast either.
The latest Drought Monitor report, released Thursday morning, now has virtually all of the south shore of Long Island and a large chunk of north-central New Jersey in the "severe drought" category. A week ago they were in moderate drought conditions.
All of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn are in a severe drought as well. North of the city, conditions vary, but in parts of eastern Connecticut, the situation has now reached "extreme drought" levels.
When Brooklyn hit the severe level last week, it was the first time in 20 years, and things have only gotten worse since.
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According to the National Weather Service, about 36% of this region is in a severe drought or worse. That's almost double what it was a week ago.
Below are the Drought Monitor maps for this week (left) and last week (right), showing the expansion of moderate and severe drought conditions in the region.
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Crops in New Jersey are noticeably smaller than before, or the plants themselves simply not growing nearly as high, due to the dry conditions. Corn fields are withering on their stalks, with corn cobs barely fit for consumption. Apples much smaller than normal by this time of year. Soybeans that should be fully grown by now, not even close to that mark.
The situation is bad enough that local governments are starting to ramp up water restrictions. On Wednesday Rockland County declared a "stage II water emergency," which brings a host of rules, including a ban on serving restaurant customers glasses of water unless they specifically ask for it.
Lawns throughout the county are browning as well, as watering can only be done every other day. But with violations of up to $2,000 possible, many residents say they will oblige and understand the need for the restrictions.
Relief will only come with rain - and that's in brutally short supply. Central Park is already about three inches below average for the summer.
Storm Team 4 says there's "decent rain chances" Monday into Tuesday, though it's not clear those will be enough to make a dent in things. (We've also had multiple rain hopes dashed of late, as systems went elsewhere or didn't materialize.)
