Come on with the rain! All about Long Island's drought

Just coming off the driest October on record since the National Weather Service began monitoring conditions at its climate center in Islip in 1963, Long Island recently moved into drought territory, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

A drought watch was also recently declared for New York City by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The National Weather Service at Upton has reported that only 0.12 inches of rain fell in October on Long Island, a record low. "The previous record 0.18 [inches] that was in 2000," said Joe Pollina, a meteorologist with weather service at Upton.

As for the possibility of rain, Pollina said there was "nothing in the forecast until this coming weekend, Sunday afternoon to Sunday evening where we see a significant chance of rain, 25% to 45% chance of rain."

What accounts for the long period of dryness?

Pollina said the region has been caught up in a "series of high pressure systems. With that comes dry weather." He said what little rain did come to the area last month was not widespread.

How dry is Long Island?

Last Thursday, U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal agency, said Long Island was in a "moderate drought," which is the second of six levels ranging from no risk to "exceptional drought." The agency has issued, from time to time, "red flag warnings," when there is a high risk of ground fires and wildfires because of the combination of dryness, warmth and gusty winds.

There was a woodland fire in Hempstead Lake State Park late Friday, a state official said, and the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services reported a brush fire occurred Saturday in Manorville Hills County Park in Manorville.

What about the rest of the state?

The state DEC on Saturday declared a "drought watch" in all five New York City boroughs and 10 other counties — Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester — "because of significant shortage of rainfall and declining levels of streamflow and groundwater," the agency said in a news release.

Was Long Island on the state's drought watch?

The state DEC did not include Nassau and Suffolk counties under the drought watch, which is the first of four stages of drought, according to information on the DEC's website.

"Drought watch," which the DEC says is the "least severe" of the stages, is declared when a drought is developing and local water officials should "begin to conserve water and urge customers to reduce water usage."

When asked why Long Island wasn't included in the drought watch, a spokesperson for the DEC said in an emailed statement: "The Drought Management Task Force will continue to monitor hydrological conditions and will update status as conditions change."

What is New York City recommending to residents to save water?

New York City's Department of Environmental Protection offered some "water saving tips" for residents on its website that included taking shorter showers, which it said saves "5 to 7 gallons a minute," and turning off the faucet while shaving, washing your hands or brushing your teeth, or washing dishes. "Faucets use 2 to 3 gallons a minute," the agency said.

Are local water companies concerned?

Pete Logan, the superintendent of the Jericho Water District, which services about 58,000 people in the northeast corner of Nassau County, from Glen Head to Woodbury, said the "moderate drought" declaration by the U.S. Drought Monitor was not yet concerning.

"So at the moment, we’re into November, people’s lawn sprinklers should be off," Logan said. "What it comes down to is we’re going into winter, usage is going to go down no matter what."

Logan said he wasn't so concerned about what he called "normal baseline usage" such as showering, laundering, cleaning and cooking. "That’s what happens 365 days a year." The bigger concern is "the lawn watering that picks up in April. By November, it trails off."

How often does drought happen?

New York State experiences drought "on average, every two to three years," occurring seasonally and improving over the winter, due to snowfall, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The agency said while droughts are often short term in New York, it can still have "widespread impacts," such as the state's agriculture industry if a drought occurs in the growing season.

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie