The US Drought Monitor came out with its assessment of the ongoing drought in New England, and the news couldn't be worse.
Extreme drought has expanded deep into Massachusetts and almost all across Southern New Hampshire. In Maine, the southern end of York County is also in extreme drought, with severe drought into Midcoast Maine.
All around New England, the story is the same: depleted reservoirs, dusty landscape, increasing tree mortality and fire danger.
And all I can come up with are reasons there is no rain (lack of Gulf of Mexico moisture, lack of weak coastal storms, misplaced jet stream, poor spring runoff).
Our hope in autumn is for either a direct hit from a tropical system (no one's wishing for that) or remnant downpours from a dying one.
Well, I'm not saying our ship has come in, but with a decaying tropical system named Julia loitering off the Carolinas into the weekend, I have more hope now than I've had in weeks.
Seems that the jet stream may actually work in our favor by dipping down to that area, scooping up the moisture and smearing it all over an approaching cool front by late weekend. NOT a panacea in the sense that it erases the drought everywhere, but at least help in stemming the tide of worsening drought.
Local
We'll see how it plays out. In the meantime, please conserve water!!
