Uncommonly dry weather has spurred concerns in New York City, and one meteorologist said the city could soon start asking citizens to conserve water if the pattern continues. As of Monday, all of New York City was considered abnormally dry, which is the first stage in the U.S. Drought Monitor's map.
National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists have urged people in some Northeastern states to use caution with ignition sources, as conditions were favorable for wildfires. It's been the driest start to the autumn season in over a century, New York City news website The Gothamist reported.
NWS meteorologist Dominic Ramunni said that New Yorkers should start taking precautions in response to the dry conditions, according to the report. Recently, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy asked citizens to voluntarily conserve water amid moderate and severe drought across the state, and New York City could follow suit, The Gothamist reported.
Newsweek reached out to the New York City mayor's office by email for comment.
"Fortunately, it's been a relatively wet summer...so we have a little bit of wiggle room here before things really start to get a little bit worse," Ramunni said in the report. "Hopefully, we see some rain before then."
Ramunni suggested that even without water restrictions in place, New York City residents could help the situation by using less water, such as taking shorter showers.
No rain is in the forecast for at least the next seven days, NWS meteorologist Jay Engle told Newsweek. As of Monday, Central Park has received only a trace of rain, too little to be officially measured. Central Park's month-to-date rainfall is 2.87 inches below average. The area typically sees around 4.4 inches of rain throughout October, on average.
Engle added that although sporadic dry weather during the fall is not unusual, the prolonged stretch of dry weather being experienced in New York City is.
"It's not completely unusual to have dry weather for a week or two, but it's been longer than usual," Engle said. He added that the city has experienced a "prolonged stretch of dry weather" since a "very active wet period" in August, when severe flooding hit the region.
"Now we've gone to the other extreme, which is dry," he said.
In nearby Connecticut, dry conditions have spurred the possibility of wildfire development, prompting NWS meteorologists to issue a special weather statement on Monday morning.
"Relative humidities this afternoon are expected to be between 30 and 35 percent," the statement said. "When factoring in the recent lack of rainfall, conditions favoring wildfire development are possible today. Use caution when handling ignition sources."
Special weather statements warning of favorable wildfire conditions also were in place in New Jersey and Massachusetts.
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