Red Flag Warnings Cover New Jersey as Fires Burn – NBC New York

Nearly half a dozen wildfires are burning in New Jersey and the tri-state area, from the Garden State to New York City to Fairfield County, Connecticut, are under red flag warnings Friday, a day after the U.S. drought monitor said the drought is getting worse has published upcoming news. The tri-state area is experiencing a persistent and increasingly extreme drought situation.

It started in September when we had a very dry start. We ended the month with a major rain deficit. And then October came. We had a whopping 0.01 inches of rain, making October the driest calendar month in Central Park since records began in the 1860s.

So far November has not been out of the ordinary. A week into the month, we are still waiting for our first drop of rain.

The shockingly long dry spell has led to a worsening drought in the tri-state area. The latest Drought Monitor update from Thursday shows that all counties in the region are currently experiencing at least moderate drought conditions.

New Jersey’s severe drought has expanded from South Jersey to central and even parts of North Jersey. And for the first time since October 2002, parts of New Jersey are now experiencing extreme drought. This includes Ocean County.

The lack of rain is also affecting New York’s reservoirs, which supply water to nearly half of the state, including New York City. On average, the reservoirs are at about 79% capacity. The storage network is currently at around 64% capacity. Occupancy at each location varies, but three of the seven locations are at 50% or less capacity, with the lowest at about 34%.

Due to the lower water levels, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought warning and asked city authorities to reduce water use. The watch also encourages residents to do their part to reduce water consumption and suggests measures such as shorter showers.

Widespread drought is also the main factor behind the ongoing fire threat in the region. The lack of rainfall has resulted in large amounts of dry brush becoming available, meaning wildfires can start easily and spread quickly.

As a result, there are currently several active wildfires throughout the state of New Jersey. Some just started this week, others have been burning since Halloween last month. And conditions will get much worse on Friday.

The risk of forest fires can be increased daily by low humidity and squalls. Relative humidity is a measure of air humidity. If the value falls near or below 30%, wildfires can easily occur. Gusty winds, particularly those exceeding 25 miles per hour, encourage rapid fire spread and make it very difficult to contain fires that do ignite.

Low humidity and gusty winds will continue through the end of the work week and our fire danger remains very high. Red flag warnings were issued Thursday afternoon for nearly a dozen counties in New Jersey and many in New York, including the five boroughs of New York City. Fairfield County in Connecticut is also affected.

Find out about the latest weather warnings in your area here.

Until we get enough rain and reduce our seasonal rain deficit of nearly 8 inches, the fire threat will only get worse.

The next chance of rain is Sunday evening, but it won’t be too heavy. Rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch are expected. And while any rain is worth celebrating at this point, this doesn’t scratch the surface of the rain we need to get back to normal.