Drought Information Statement for Southern New England Issued By: NWS Boston/Norton, MA Contact information: box.webmaster@noaa.gov Current Status, Impacts, and Outlook: 11/01/2024 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA D2 Severe Drought Most of Eastern MA excluding southeastern MA/Cape Cod Northwest CT D1 Moderate Drought Northern Worcester/Middlesex counties in MA Most of CT and RI D0 Abnormally Dry Southeastern MA and Cape/Islands Recent Change in Drought Intensity 1-Week Drought Monitor Class Change National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Drought Worsened: 1 Drought class degradation for portions of western, MA and CT No Change: Mostly no changes in Drought Intensity for RI and eastern/central MA. Drought Improved: No improvements this week Observed Precipitation National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways 30 day rainfall accumulations only in the 0.25 to 1 inch range across southern New England 30 day precipitation accumulations are less than 20% of normal across southern New England 3 Month Departures and Percent of Normal National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways 90 day precipitation departures are 3-4.5 inches or more below normal across most of southern New England 90 day accumulations only fall in the 20 to 40 percent of normal range for most of southern New England Portions of southern RI and southeastern MA fall in the 40 to 80 percent of normal range over the last 90 days Observed Temperature National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Temperatures averaging about 2 to 4 degrees above normal over the last 30 days Summary of Impacts National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Hydrologic Impacts Streamflow levels largely below 10th percentile or at record low levels for this time of year at various stream gages across southern New England Falling groundwater levels may lead to localized water resource impacts Agricultural Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Fire Hazard Impacts Numerous active brush fires in MA and CT CT Brush Fire More Info →https://portal.ct.gov/deep/news-releases/news-releases---2024 MA Brush Fire More Info → https://www.mass.gov/news/brush-fire-warning-state-local-leaders-urge-caution-amid-high-fire-risk State Drought Declarations MA declared mild drought for portions of central and eastern MA on October 11th. Visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/drought-status for more information Mitigation actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Much below normal to record low 7 day average streamflow levels for most stream gauges in southern New England 7-Day Streamflow Percentile Agricultural Impacts National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Most of MA ranging from PDSI between -1 and -2.9 highlighting continued longer term dryness in the state Most of RI still considered to be in the normal range (-0.9 to 0.9) thanks to a wet end to the summer. This product does not capture short-term dry trends and changes slowly from week to week Palmer Drought Severity Index Fire Hazard Impacts National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Wildland fire potential above normal across all of southern New England Seven Day Precipitation Forecast National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Next 7 days: Potential for substantial rain Thursday 11/21 and late next week 0.75 to 1.25 inches of rain forecast over the next 7 days for southern new England 6-10 Day Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Leaning above normal temperatures likely during the next 6 to 10 days Leaning anove normal precipitation over the next 6 to 10 days Possible Impact Precipitation deficits may improve depending on the amount of precipitation received Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook. Valid November 21-25. 8-14 Day Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Leaning near to above normal temperatures for the last week of November Leaning below normal precipitation for the last week of November Possible Impact Precipitation deficits and drought conditions may worsen with no substantial precipitation Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 8-14 Day Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 8-14 Day Precipitation Outlook. Valid November 23-29 Weeks 3-4 Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Equal chances for above/below normal precipitation during mid to late November Possible Impact Low confidence in any drought improvement through mid-December Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Weeks 3-4 Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Weeks 3-4 Precipitation Outlook. Valid November 30- December 13. Seasonal Climate Outlook Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Higher chances for above normal average temperatures for the Northeast this winter Equal chances for above/below normal precipitation this winter. Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Valid 12 to 02 2024-2025. Drought Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways 1 month outlook calls for drought conditions to persist through the end of November 3 month outlook calls for drought ending for most of southern New England by the end of January 3 month outlook calls for improvement in drought conditions across northeastern MA More Information National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Connecticut Connecticut Drought Information Center Massachusetts Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force Rhode Island Rhode Island Water Resources Board