Drought Information Statement for the Philadelphia/Mt. Holly Hydrologic Service Area Valid November 27, 2023 Issued By: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly Contact Information: wfophi.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated December 22, 2023 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/phi/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. U.S. Drought Monitor Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for the Philadelphia/Mt Holly Forecast Area Per the U.S. Drought Monitor… Drought intensity and Extent D4 Exceptional Drought: No Exceptional Drought exists across the Mt. Holly Hydrologic Service Area (HSA). D3 Extreme Drought: No Extreme Drought exists across the Mt. Holly HSA. D2 Severe Drought: No Severe Drought exists across the Mt. Holly HSA. D1 Moderate Drought: The Moderate Drought designation exists across SE Pennsylvania, N Delaware, and SW New Jersey. D0 Abnormally Dry: Touches just about every county across our HSA in some capacity. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Across all four states we serve (NJ, PA, DE, MD). No Change: Once again, across all four states we serve (NJ, PA, DE, MD). Drought Improved: No improvement in drought conditions was observed Precipitation Our entire HSA has seen rainfall deficits the last 30 days. Last 30 Days Temperature Since the end of October through the first 26 days of November, temperature departures across the HSA were between -2.0 and +4.0 degrees. Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Seven-day average streamflow conditions, ending 11/27, were normal to above normal. See the next slide for more details. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture was running normal to above normal. See slide 8 for more details. Other Impacts Per the PA DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), groundwater recharge has been slow across the southeastern portion of the state. Per state DEPs, most reservoir pools across the HSA were normal. Per the Delaware River Basin Commission, and as of November 27th, the salt front in the Delaware River Estuary was estimated at river mile marker 71.4. The normal location for this time of year is river mile marker 70. This means the salt line was further upstream compared to normal. Drought Mitigation Actions Per the state of Pennsylvania, a Drought Watch or Warning remains in effect for counties across the central and southeastern portion of the state. Keep in mind, the National Weather Service does not declare Drought Watches or Warnings. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts With the recent rain, the seven-day average streamflow conditions, ending 11/27, were normal to above normal. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture was running normal to above normal across the HSA. Above normal potential is also forecast for portions of the Mid-Atlantic, Virginia, and West Virginia in September and October due to long term dryness and the potential for early leaf drop due to drought stressed hardwoods. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast A dry but strong cold front will sweep across the region later today. High pressure will build to our south for the middle of the week. A cold front is then forecast to move through late Friday with low pressure potentially affecting the region next weekend. The 8 to 14 day outlook calls for above normal temperatures and precipitation.