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Regional Drought Update Date
June 3, 2022
Site Section
Drought Status Update

Drought Early Warning Update for the Northeast


DEWS Regions:
Update Status:

NIDIS and its partners will issue future drought updates as conditions evolve.

While rain provided relief to parts of Maine, drought intensified in southeast New England.

For more details, see the Northeast Drought Early Warning System Dashboard.

Key Points

  • Rain relieved some long-term dryness in parts of northwestern Maine, but both Moderate Drought (D1) and Abnormally Dry conditions (D0) held for some counties.
  • Moderate Drought (D1) expanded further south into eastern counties of Connecticut and over most of Rhode Island.
  • Moderate Drought (D1) extended into southeastern New Hampshire and counties in southeast Massachusetts.
  • Abnormally Dry conditions (D0) expanded west to the Connecticut River Valley in both Massachusetts and Connecticut as it held fast along the rest of the New England coast, Cape Cod, and the Islands.
  • Abnormally Dry conditions (D0) continued in portions of western New York.
  • Regional Spring (March–May) precipitation statistics:
    • Boston had its 14th driest March–May; precipitation was only 59% of normal.
    • Providence, RI precipitation was 69% of normal
    • Portland, ME precipitation was 75% of normal
    • Rochester, NY precipitation was 78% of normal
  • For additional details on May temperatures and precipitation in the Northeast, see the Northeast Regional Climate Center blog.
Current Conditions
U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions: Northeast | May 31, 2022

U.S. Drought Monitor Categories
Value Map Hex Color
D0 - Abnormally Dry #ffff00
D1 - Moderate Drought #ffcc99
D2 - Severe Drought #f5ad3d
D3 - Extreme Drought #ff0000
D4 - Exceptional Drought #660000

Main Stats
19.81%
of the Northeast is Abnormally Dry (D0)
4.82%
of the Northeast is in Moderate Drought (D1)

Current Conditions

U.S. Drought Monitor 4-Week Change Map

From May 3 to May 31, the southern coast of Maine, Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut, and the southeastern corner of New Hampshire have all seen a 1- to 2-category degradation, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
U.S. Drought Monitor change map, showing where drought and dryness have improved or worsened from May 3–31, 2022. Source: National Drought Mitigation Center.

 Animation: 2022 U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions in the Northeast

Animation of a time series, map, and statistics showing the progression of drought across the Northeast from January 4 to May 31, 2022, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Animation showing the progression of drought across the Northeast in 2022 so far (through May 31, 2022), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Explore more historical drought conditions.

Accumulated Precipitation Departure from Normal

Accumulated precipitation departures from normal for four locations across the Northeast through May 2022
Departure from normal precipitation (inches) for Portland Area, ME (blue), Rochester Area, NY (orange), Boston Area, MA (green), and Providence Area, RI (black). Source: ACIS.

Accumulated Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) Departure from Normal

Accumulated potential evapotranspiration (PET) departure from normal from March 2022 through May 2022 for four locations in the Northeast: New York City (blue), Boston (orange), Buffalo (gray), and Caribou, ME (yellow).
Accumulated potential evapotranspiration (PET) departure from normal for March through May for four locations in the Northeast: New York City (blue), Boston, MA (orange), Buffalo, NY (gray), and Caribou, ME (yellow). In the past week, above normal PET rates in Boston and New York City increased their seasonal departures from normal, while Buffalo and Caribou held steady. Source: ACIS.

    State-Reported Impacts

    Connecticut

    Maine

    Massachusetts

    New York

    Outlooks

    • According to the Climate Prediction Center's 8–14 day outlook (valid June 9–15), the entire Northeast has a greater likelihood of above-normal precipitation. Odds favor below-normal temperatures for New York, western Vermont, far-western Massachusetts, and the northwest corner of Connecticut, with near-normal conditions for the rest of the region.
    • The week 3–4 outlook (valid June 11–24) favors above-normal temperatures throughout the Northeast. The entire region has equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation.

    8–14 Day Temperature Outlook

    New York and western areas of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut have a greater likelihood of below-normal temperatures from June 9–15. Odds favor near-normal temperatures for the rest of the region.
    NOAA Climate Prediction Center 8–14 day temperature outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal, below-normal, or normal conditions from June 9–15, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center via the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.

    8–14 Day Precipitation Outlook

    The entire Northeast DEWS region has a higher likelihood of above-normal precipitation conditions from June 9 to 15, 2022.
    NOAA Climate Prediction Center 8–14 day precipitation outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal, below-normal, or normal conditions from June 9–15, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center via the Northeast DEWS Dashboard.

    Temperature Outlook Week 3–4

    From June 11–24, 2022, most of the Northeast region has increased chances of above-normal temperatures.
    NOAA Climate Prediction Center week 3–4 temperature outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal or below-normal conditions from June 11–24, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center.

    Precipitation Outlook Week 3–4

    From June 11–24, 2022, most of the Northeast region has equal chances of above-, below-, or near-normal precipitation.
    NOAA Climate Prediction Center week 3–4 precipitation outlook for the Northeast, showing the probability of above-normal or below-normal conditions from June 11–24, 2022. Source: Climate Prediction Center.

    What We Are Watching

    The warm season is here. Information sharing is more important than ever for our region. Share drought impacts, and sign up for drought alert emails.

    NIDIS and Northeast DEWS News

    Additional Resources

    Use these sites to keep tabs on drought degradation and improvements in the areas outside of the Northeast DEWS borders:

    Contacts for More Information

    Sylvia Reeves
    Regional Drought Information Coordinator (Northeast DEWS)
    NOAA/CIRES/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)
    Email: sylvia.reeves@noaa.gov

    Ellen L. Mecray
    Regional Climate Services Director, Eastern Region
    NOAA/NESDIS/National Centers for Environmental Information
    Email: Ellen.L.Mecray@noaa.gov

    Prepared By

    Sylvia Reeves
    NOAA/National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), CIRES

    Samantha Borisoff, Jessica Spaccio, Keith Eggleston, Art DeGaetano
    Northeast Regional Climate Center

    Ellen Mecray
    Regional Climate Services Director, Eastern Region, NOAA

    David Hollinger
    USDA Climate Hubs

    Gardner Bent
    USGS New England Water Science Center

    In partnership with National Weather Service Offices of the Northeast and State Climate Offices of the Northeast. 

    Special Thanks

    This drought early warning update is issued in partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to communicate concern for drought expansion and intensification within the Northeast U.S. based on recent conditions and the forecasts and outlooks. NIDIS and its partners will issue future Drought Early Warning Updates as conditions evolve.