State drought watch canceled, but meteorologists say Long Island needs more rain

After recent rainfall, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced New York is no longer under a drought watch, but meteorologists said Long Island needs more time and more rain to overcome lingering drought conditions before warmer weather returns.

Parts of New York State were under a drought watch since early November, and Gov. Kathy Hochul declared all 62 counties across the state under a drought watch on Nov. 18. A watch is the first of four state drought advisory levels, followed by warning, emergency and disaster.

As advisories progress, authorities urge and can eventually order water restrictions, according to the state DEC website. From Nov. 12 through Nov. 30, Hochul enacted an outdoor burn ban as tinderbox conditions bolstered wildfires statewide.

"Recent precipitation and the vigilance of New Yorkers who heeded calls to conserve water resources have alleviated dry conditions across the state," DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement.

While the NYSDEC has cleared all 62 counties of advisories, the U.S. Drought Monitor lists much of Suffolk County under "abnormally dry" conditions, the first of a five-level scale, while Nassau County, western Suffolk and the East End remain under a "moderate drought," the monitor’s second tier.

As of Oct. 29 all of Long Island was under a moderate drought, and under a severe drought from mid-November through mid-December. By Christmas Eve, only western Nassau faced severe drought conditions, as the remainder of the Island returned to the moderate tier.

The National Weather Service recorded 3.34 inches of rain at Islip in November, followed by another 6.23 inches in December. But recent rain does not make up the rainfall deficit caused by the driest September followed by the driest October ever recorded on Long Island, when a combined 0.36 inches of rain fell, Newsday TV meteorologist Rich Von Ohlen said.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s 30-day outlook predicts "below-normal precipitation for our area," Von Ohlen said. If this outlook "verifies for January," he added, "that won’t help things out too much. It will take more to lessen the drought conditions."

The weather service forecasts a chance of flurries on Saturday and there is a chance for "probably an inch of snow, give or take a half an inch" on Monday, according to meteorologist Bryan Ramsey with the National Weather Service's Upton office.

"We’re not expecting much significant precipitation for the next seven days so I don’t know if we’re going to see much improvement," Ramsey said Friday. "Right now, we’re behind where we normally would be for precipitation."

It is doubtful that winter snow can effectively replenish Long Island’s aquifers and dampen drought conditions, according to the meteorologist.

"Even if you have multiple inches of snow, that’s still more than likely much less than an inch of liquid precip," Ramsey said.

The DEC and other agencies will continue "to monitor conditions" and "identify any necessary steps and actions needed to help prevent additional shortages," Mahar said.

New Yorkers are still encouraged to repair leaks and install water-saving fixtures to cut back on water waste and "ensure adequate supply for all emergency uses," the DEC said in a release Friday. To reduce water usage, residents are also encouraged to sweep driveways and sidewalks in lieu of hosing them down, wait for full loads to run laundry machines and dishwashers and wash cars less often.

By the time summer rolls around, Von Ohlen hopes more rain will stave off a return of DEC drought advisories.

"Long Island is slowly but surely coming out of the drought," Von Ohlen said. But based upon the Climate Prediction Center’s outlook, "it may end up taking a little more time to get back to normal conditions. The hope is that we do it by the time we get to spring so that …when it gets hot again and summery we’re in good shape with the reservoirs and the water levels and the surface moisture."