BUFFALO, N.Y. — Just one week after all of Western New York showed up on the New York state Drought Monitor map and little rain over the past 7 days, drought-like conditions have gotten worse to the point of a now defined drought for portions of the area.
In the latest New York State Drought Monitor released Thursday, all of Western New York is now included in at least the "Abnormally Dry" category. And now, portions of Erie County, Niagara County, Genesee County, and Wyoming County are also within the "Moderate Drought" category too, marking the start of a drought for those locations.
The "Moderate Drought" category, which is also known as D1, is defined by the need for more irrigation, the threat for wildfires increases, and voluntary water conservation may be requested.
The "Abnormally Dry" category, which is also known as D0, is defined by having lower surface water levels, lower than average soil moisture, and the potential for stunted crop growth.
By the numbers, nearly 36% of New York State has the definition of abnormally dry soil. And as of July 14, Western New York is the only region across the state within the second category of having a moderate drought. That makes up 2.33% of the state. No region across New York State is has the designation of severe, extreme or exceptional drought.
And it's no surprise with Buffalo and much of the region now over an inch behind in rainfall for the summer months. Only 3.33 inches of rain has fallen at the National Weather Service Office at the Buffalo Airport since June 1, which is 1.43 inches under the norm for this time of year.
So without any beneficial rainfall through the end of the month, Western New York's drought could get worse. However, the more likely scenario with some intermittent rain chances coming up is that the region will hold at the current state, potentially see a few more locations added to the "Moderate Drought" category. But it's not likely to get worse at this point.
The last major drought that Western New York experienced was back in August of 2016.
