Drought Information Statement for the Philadelphia/Mt. Holly Hydrologic Service Area 
Valid December 13, 2024
Issued By: NWS Philadelphia/Mt. Holly
Contact Information: wfophi.webmaster@noaa.gov 
This product will be updated December 24, 2024 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. 

The state of New Jersey has issued a Drought Warning for the entire state.
The state of Maryland has issued a Drought Warning for the Eastern Shore.
The state of Delaware has issued a Drought Watch for the entire state.
The state of Pennsylvania has issued a Drought Watch for east-central and southeast portions of the state and a Drought Warning for Berks county. 

U.S. Drought Monitor

Drought intensity and Extent

D4 (Exceptional Drought): No Exceptional Drought exists across the Hydrologic Service Area (HSA).
D3 (Extreme Drought): Extreme Drought exists across portions of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Delmarva.
D2 (Severe Drought): The entire forecast area is at least in Severe Drought.
D1 (Moderate Drought): The entire forecast area is at least in Moderate Drought.
D0: (Abnormally Dry): The entire forecast area is at least considered Abnormally Dry.

Recent Change in Drought Intensity

One Week Drought Monitor Class Change…
 
Drought Worsened: No deterioration was observed. 
 
No Change: Conditions remained the same across portions of east-central and southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Delmarva. 

Drought Improved: No improvement was observed.

Precipitation

Precipitation across the HSA has varied the last 30 days ranging from below normal to above normal. 

Temperature

The entire region has seen below normal temperatures the last 7 days.

Over the last 30 days, temperatures have mainly been normal or slightly below.

Summary of Impacts

Hydrologic Impacts 
  ● Seven-day average streamflow conditions, ending 12/13, varied widely across the region from much below normal to above. See the next slide for more details.

Agricultural Impacts
  ● Soil moisture was running below normal across much of the HSA. 
  ● See slide 8 for more details.

Other Impacts
  ● Per state DEPs, reservoir pools across the HSA were mainly below normal.
  ● Per the Delaware River Basin Commission, and as of December 9th, the salt front in the Delaware River Estuary was estimated at river mile 83.2. The normal location for this time of year is river mile marker 69. This means the salt line was further upstream compared to normal.

Mitigation Actions
  ● Per the state of New Jersey, a Drought Warning has been issued for the entire state.
  ● Per the state of Maryland, a Drought Warning has been issued for the Eastern Shore.
  ● Per the state of Delaware, a Drought Watch has been issued for the entire state.
  ● Per the state of Pennsylvania, a Drought Watch has been issued for the East-Central and Southeast portions of the state. A Drought Warning has been issued for Berks county.
 
Keep in mind, the National Weather Service does not declare Drought Watches or Warnings.

Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts

Seven-day average streamflow conditions varied widely from much below normal to above. Below normal streamflows were more prevalent across our southern area of responsibility. 

Agricultural Impacts

Soil moisture was running below normal across much of the cross 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

High pressure will strengthen as it builds into our region tonight. This strong high then becomes more centered to our northeast over the weekend before shifting offshore Sunday night. A weak system moves through Sunday night and Monday, followed by another system later Monday and Tuesday. High pressure may build in on Wednesday before another low pressure system could affect our region at the end of the work week. 

The 8 to 14 day outlook calls for near normal temperatures and precipitation.