Historic Drought Conditions Threaten PA, Region

PENNSYLVANIA — After repeated bouts of severe rainfall and flooding, drought conditions now threaten Pennsylvania and much of the nation. Swaths of the state have experienced historic highs in temperature and lack of rainfall this August.

About 40 percent of the state is now under "abnormally dry" conditions, hovering on the edge of a "moderate drought" designation, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. Under this abornmally dry classification, the Center notes numerous agricultural impacts, including stunted crop growth and delayed planting. Gardens and lawns also wilt, and, notably, the risk of wildfires is increased.

"The lack of precipitation led to the expansion and intensification of drought conditions in multiple locations," the Cornell University-based Northeast Regional Climate Center said. "Impacts of the drought have included dry wells, increased fire activity, and reduced crop yields."

The Center studies climate conditions at 35 major sites around the northeast, and cited 27 of them as experiencing "drier than normal" conditions. Fourteen of them ranked the first few weeks of August as among their driest on record.

All of New York, most of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and most of New England received less than 50 percent of normal precipitation in the opening weeks of August.

Beyond risk to agriculture, day to day life is being impacted in places like New Jersey, where water conservation measures are being put in place asreservoir levels drop.

Some 6 percent of Pennsylvania is already in the federal "moderate drought" category, including Tioga and Potter counties and parts of Bradford and McKean counties. The Allentown area is among the driest in all of the northeast in August, receiving just 8 percent of normal rainfall, according to statistics from the Northeast Regional Climate Center

Yellow on the map below indicates abnormally dry, while brown is moderate drought.

While a single weather event is not strictly caused by climate change, conditions created by a warmer planet with more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exacerbate trends and events. It's why extreme flooding has still hit areas of the mid-Atlantic and northeast this August, including West Virginia, while

For droughts specifically, water evaporates more quickly when it's warmer. Hotter soils are drier. Drought conditions mean less greenery is growing, which means that plants are absorbing less CO2, creating a feedback loop that contributes to warming.

Unlike other states, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has not yet declared a drought watch or warning. Declarations are based on four factors: stream flow, groundwater level, precipitation, and soil moisture.

The coming days show a chance for some precipitation to bring the region relief. Here is the forecast for the Philadelphia area:

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. West wind around 5 mph.

Thursday night

Mostly clear, with a low around 67. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Friday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Saturday

A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday night

A slight chance of showers before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday
A chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday night

A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 50%.