By Joe Martucci
Certified Broadcast Meteorologist
and Certified Digital Meteorologist
On Oct. 17, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch for the entire state. It came the same day that the United States Drought Monitor, a federal product under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reported that 60% of New Jersey now met drought conditions.
The state and feds are in agreement: It’s dry. It’s been dry and it’s close to impacting our normal way of life.
A number of us are enjoying this very long stretch of sunny days and clear nights. It’s been perfect for outdoor events. And, come time for the weekend, it’s been downright warm. You can’t ask for much more to draw in people to our Jersey Shore during the shoulder season. I don’t want to lose sight of that because I’ve loved this endless blue sky as well.
However, we do need the rain, and multiple days of it. Otherwise, our day-to-day life will look different in the near future.
State v. Federal Drought
If you are wondering, what the differences between a state or a federal drought, think of the United States Drought Monitor as just the facts. They’re using weather and ground conditions to determine if an area is in drought. If we are in drought, they break down what stage of drought we’re in (there are four). They update their maps every Thursday.
The state’s drought is a policy put forth by the state Department of Environmental Protection. They’re applying the data of the drought monitor, as well as using their own data, to make a plan.
NJDEP Drought Watch Explained
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has placed the state under a drought watch. That’s the second step of four possible state water supply actions.
The purpose of a drought watch is to bring more awareness to the issue that it’s been dry for a while and our water supply is being stressed.
Usually, there are no mandatory water restrictions put into place. That’s true here, as only voluntary water restrictions are in effect.
“While water conservation is always important, it becomes critical during prolonged dry periods such as New Jersey has been experiencing for much of the summer and into early fall,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “Voluntary water conservation now can help to avoid more serious and restrictive measures in the future.”
The previous drought watch in New Jersey occurred from August to December of 2022.
U.S. Drought Monitor Status
After reviewing rainfall, groundwater and agriculture data, 59.4% of New Jersey’s land area is in drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor’s Oct. 17 update. This included the Atlantic and Cape May County coastal areas, our Shore Local region, for the first time.
This is a 23% increase from the Oct. 10 update – a big gain.
As of the Oct. 17 update, drought conditions are present from the Delaware Bay on north to Monmouth, Mercer and Hunterdon counties.
The South Jersey coastal area is in the first stage of drought, which is called moderate drought.
In all, 3.3 million New Jersey residents are in drought. The northern parts of the state are in a pre-drought stage known as abnormally dry conditions. However, western Atlantic County, eastern Burlington County and southern Ocean County are in the second stage of drought known as a severe drought.
Drought began in the state, according to the drought monitor, with the Sept. 10 update. This was a small part of northern Atlantic and eastern Burlington counties.
Impacts So Far
In addition to voluntary water restrictions, we’ve seen a number of high wildfire danger days. As the sunshine dries out more of the ground every day, the crisp air makes the Pinelands more susceptible to a blaze, and the breezy days we’ve seen can spread it around.
This very dry weather has also impacted fall foliage. The colors are less vibrant than usual this season, a result of the trees not getting the nutrients they need to create those vivid hues. On the plus side, the sunny days and cool nights at least are making the colors turn out.
Farther north in the state, reservoir levels are low. The Manasquan Reservoir in Monmouth County made news on Oct. 17 for being at 58% of capacity, according to the New Jersey Water Supply Authority. That was a record low, according to NJ.com.
Thankfully, though, the impacts have been fairly low so far. With the growing season over, we’re not irrigating the land for crops. Furthermore, we’re past the high water usage season of summer (think lawns, water parks, pools, etc). If there were ever a good time to be in drought, this it.
How Dry Has it Been?
Bone dry. There are so many ways to classify how rain-free it’s been, I’ll list a few below.
The most recent measurable precipitation was Oct. 1 at Sen. Frank S. Farley State Marina in Atlantic City and Oct. 2 at Atlantic City International Airport, according to NOAA. When this Shore Local issue is published on Oct. 24, that will mean we’ve gone 23 and 22 days in a row without rain, respectively.
That’s the longest dry streak since Sept. 16 to Oct. 8, 2007 in Atlantic City. At the airport, that’s the lengthiest since July 29 to Aug. 26, 2006.
The most recent rainfall with more than a quarter inch of rain is Sept. 27. Out of the 17 Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) volunteer weather observing stations in Cape May and Atlantic counties that have reported nearly every day since Labor Day (Sept. 2), 15 of them have logged in less than an inch of rainfall.
How Long Will it Last?
The drought will get worse before it gets better. No significant rainfall is expected through the end of October. A few showers will be possible on Oct. 28, but that won’t help our drought situation.
I would expect the United States Drought Monitor to expand that severe drought – the second stage of drought – in the Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 updates as a result.
Joe earned his Meteorology Degree from Rutgers University. He is approved by the American Meteorological Society as a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and Certified Digital Meteorologist, the only one in the state with both. He’s won 10 New Jersey Press Association Awards. You can find him on social media @joemartwx
