Severe drought area in Massachusetts more than doubles for 2nd straight week

DEDHAM, Mass. — More than two-thirds of Massachusetts is now in a severe drought, the latest U. S. Drought Monitor report showed.

The severe drought area in the Bay State more than doubled for the second consecutive week, rising from 31.86% on Nov. 5 to 67.66% as of Nov. 12. Just 13.61% of the state was in a severe drought on Oct. 29.

The bone-dry conditions stretch from the North Shore to Boston to central and western Massachusetts, while much of southeastern Massachusetts is now considered “abnormally dry.”

In her latest weather forecast, Boston 25 Meteorologist Shiri Spear said there’s little to no rain in sight.

The latest Drought Monitor update comes after Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday urged residents to conserve water whenever possible and avoid burning anything outdoors amid an “unprecedented” wildfire season.

Healey said residents can conserve water by running their dishwashers frequently, running their washing machines at full capacity, taking shorter showers, and fixing plumbing leaks immediately.

A seemingly endless number of wildfires have been burning across the state in recent weeks, including on the North Shore, where the largest brush fire in nearly 30 years has scorched hundreds of acres in the Lynn Woods Reservation.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation said the fires are all “human-caused” because there has been no lightning system in the area in October or November.

“Now is not the time to burn leaves. Now is not the time to go outside and light a fire out back and sit around one of our stoves. It’s just not that time,” Healey warned.

Cambridge officials on Thursday morning informed residents that reservoir levels in the city have declined due to the drought conditions.

“We’re proactively asking everyone to be mindful of water use now to avoid bigger issues later,” the city said in a Facebook post. “Check out that dripping faucet today!”

An updated Drought Monitor report is released every Thursday morning.

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