Drought conditions end in Massachusetts but water restrictions remain

BOSTON — Good news coming out today that the drought conditions for the state have ended. The recent advisory has been lifted but the state still says you need to conserve water.

For the last two summers, water restrictions have been a necessity as it was dry, the ground was brown and reservoirs were drying up. Boston 2015 and 2016, Massachusetts saw below average precipitation putting the state in one of the worst droughts in recent history.

Boston started the year with more than an 18-inch deficit in precipitation since 2015. This led to extreme drought conditions in many areas before the year started.

Over the last few months, above average rain has helped end the nearly two year drought. Since January of this year, Boston has picked up 18.31 inches of rain. Since March 1, we’ve seen 10.84 inches, which is more rain than we saw in all of May through September of last year combined.

Water restrictions to continue, despite no drought

While this recent wet pattern has eliminated drought conditions, don’t get too excited that your lawns will stay green all summer long.

The secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the state said in a new statement issued today outlining what is expected this summer.

“Now that the outdoor watering season has begun, we must all remain diligent in our conservation practices to endure that when prolonged dry conditions occur in the future, the states reservoirs, groundwater, soil moisture and streamflow systems aren’t further stressed, allowing them to recover quickly.”

So what does that mean? You still need to conserve water, and water bans may be in place in your town, despite groundwater levels returning to normal.

As Meteorologist Jason Brewer told you last week, water bans depend on where the water is coming from. So make sure to check in with your own city or town. The director of Public works in Needham, for example, told me today water restrictions there will continue through the summer in agreement with their water supplier and all part of the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan.

Drought monitor update

The latest drought monitor has updated to the best conditions in two years. The recent cool and wet pattern allowed for the removal of abnormally dry conditions from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. There are still some indicators of long-term dryness in the region, but the most recent wet pattern has eliminated all drought concerns for the time being. The drought conditions have been eliminated in Connecticut, however 24 percent of the state remains in the abnormally dry category.

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