Drought Information Statement for Southern New England Issued By: NWS Boston/Norton, MA Contact information: box.webmaster@noaa.gov Current Status, Impacts, and Outlook: 01/10/2025 U.S. Drought Monitor Latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA D2 Severe Drought West/Central MA D1 Moderate Drought Northwest MA, Northeast MA, CT D0 Abnormally Dry Extreme western MA, RI, southeast MA, Cape/Islands Recent Change in Drought Intensity 1-Week Drought Monitor Class Change National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Drought Worsened: No degradation Drought Improved: Improvements for northern RI, portions of MA and CT Observed Precipitation National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways 30 day rainfall accumulations ranging from 3 to 8 inches Majority of southern New England has received 100 to 160 percent of normal precipitation over the last 30 days Rhode Island has Received up to 180 percent of normal precip over the last 30 days Outer Cape, Nantucket, and portions of western MA below to slightly below normal 3 Month Departures and Percent of Normal National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways 90 day precipitation departures are 1.5 to 4.5 inches or more below normal across much of southern New England 90 day accumulations only fall in the 40 to 80 percent of normal range across most of southern New England RI and portions of eastern MA in the 80 to 100 percent of normal range over the last 90 days Observed Temperature National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Temperatures have been within 2 degrees normal for most of southern New England over the last 30 days Summary of Impacts National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Hydrologic Impacts Recent heavy precipitation has allowed streamflow levels to climb to near to above normal ranges About half of groundwater wells in southern New England are at near-normal levels while the other half are below to much below normal Agricultural Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Fire Hazard Impacts None at this time State Drought Declarations On January 10th, MA reduced drought status from critical drought to significant drought for central and northeast MA. Extreme western MA, southeast MA, and Cape/Islands region remain in Mild Drought status. Visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/drought-status for more information CT declared a Stage 2 Drought Advisory for all of CT on November 9th which remains in effect. RI issued a statewide Drought Advisory on December 4th which remains in effect. Details can be found in this press release. Mitigation actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways 7 day streamflow levels ranging from below normal to near normal for most of southern New England 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 1.9) thanks to a wet end to the summer. This product does not capture short-term dry trends and changes slowly from week to week Seven Day Precipitation Forecast National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Next 7 days: No substantial precipitation forecast for the next 7 days Up to 0.1 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation possible on Saturday 01/11. 6-10 Day Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Near normal temperatures for days 6 through 10 (01/16-01/20) Near normal precipitation for days 6 through 10 (01/16-01/20) Possible Impact Precipitation deficits may worsen 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 January 16 -20 2025. 8-14 Day Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Likely below normal temperatures for days 8-14 (01/18-01/24) Leaning above normal precipitation for days 8-14 (01/18-01/24) 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 January 18-24 2025 Weeks 3-4 Outlook Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways No strong signals for above/below normal temperatures or precipitation through the first week of February Possible Impact Above normal precipitation may help improve rain/groundwater deficits Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Weeks 3-4 Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Weeks 3-4 Precipitation Outlook. Valid January 25-February 7 2025 Seasonal Climate Outlook Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways Higher chances for above above normal average temperatures for the Northeast between Feb-Apr Equal chances for above/below normal precipitation between Feb-Apr Leaning above normal precipitation across western MA for Feb-Apr Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Precipitation Outlook. Valid 02 to 04 2025. Drought Outlook National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA Main Takeaways 1 month outlook calls for either an end to drought or drought improvement across southern New England by the end of January This slide is required. 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 This slide is required.