Drought conditions could be bad news for fall foliage in NY
The tri-state area is continuing to deal with severe drought conditions, which may mean bad news for the fall foliage season in a few weeks.
NEW YORK CITY – It’s been a LONG time since New York City has seen any sort of rain.
EAST COAST DROUGHT: NEW YORK l NEW JERSEY l WILDFIRE DANGER
In fact, Thursday was the 25th straight day without rain in New York City, closing in on the record number of days without rain (from 1924) at 36.
“We do need some rain,” FOX 5 NY’s Liv Johnson said. “We have that dry stretch that has continued throughout this whole month. We could see the driest month on record if we go this whole month without rain, which it looks like we could.”
When could NYC next see rain?
FOX 5 NY’s Liv Johnson has the details.
So, when will NYC next see rain? Johnson says, don’t expect it any time soon.
“Doesn’t look like we’ll see rain, really for quite some time, very low chances on our 5-day forecast,” Johnson said. “And it has to be measurable. It has to be more significant for it to count.”
Upcoming NYC daily rain chances
- Saturday: 10%
- Sunday: 10%
- Monday: 20%
- Tuesday: 0%
- Wednesday: 0%
Meanwhile, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy recently issued a Drought Watch, urging residents and businesses to conserve water as the dry conditions persist.
In a news release, officials said the state has experienced “significantly below-average rainfall, which has contributed to diminished streamflow, reservoir and groundwater levels” over the past three months.
Officials said the declaration of a Drought Watch was intended to increase the public’s awareness of the ongoing drought situation.
As bone-dry conditions persist across the region, officials remain concerned that new wildfires that ignite could spread rapidly.
Crews have already been working to extinguish several wildfires in the region, including a fire in Rockaway Township, Morris County.
A weather alert was issued Wednesday evening putting all of southern New Jersey, through Mercer County and into Middlesex County, under a Red Flag Warning.
The National Weather Service says the combination of warm weather, low humidity and wind could create a higher risk of fires, with very little provocation.
FOX Weather and Fox 29 helped contribute to this report.
