NJ hits drought level not seen in more than 20 years

💧 NJ's drought map hits a mark it hasn't seen since 2002

💧 NJ officials will hold a hearing to discuss potential moves

💧 Rain is coming, but it won't be enough

New Jersey is so dry, state officials have scheduled a public hearing to discuss the next steps.

For now, Garden State residents are encouraged to continue being wise with their water usage.

The latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday morning, puts about 20% of the state under the rarely touched "extreme" drought category. Every inch of the state is under some level of drought designation.

According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the state is recording rapidly worsening water supply indicators, such as severely depleted groundwater levels and streamflow.

Drought hearing

Due to the "unprecedented dry spell," NJDEP said it plans to hold a public hearing on Tuesday to help determine whether New Jersey needs to shift from a water supply drought "watch," to a water supply drought "warning."

New Jersey issued the watch on Oct. 17, mainly to increase public awareness of the situation and to encourage the public to practice voluntary water conservation measures.

State law actually requires New Jersey to hold a hearing when determining whether to elevate the concern status from "watch" to "warning."

The public hearing, which will be held over Microsoft Teams, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m.

In order to be part of the meeting, one must email NJDEP at njdrought@dep.nj.gov. This is also where one can submit written comments to officials.

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If it's eventually ruled that a drought "warning" is appropriate, water suppliers could be ordered to make moves that can reduce the likelihood of a water emergency. This could include moves such as bulk transfers of water between systems, and development of alternative water supplies.

"With the increased uncertainty posed by these weather patterns, it can become challenging for water supply managers to ensure the availability of water resources during dry periods," NJDEP said.

Water restrictions for the public would not be imposed by New Jersey under a "warning," but they could be included if conditions worsen and an "emergency" is issued.

Still, local water utilities could impose their own restrictions, and customers would need to follow those, NJDEP said.

NJ drought map

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map, 100% of New Jersey is in the "moderate," "severe," or "extreme" drought category.

The "extreme" designation touches big parts of Atlantic, Burlington, and Ocean counties. It also covers small parts of Camden and Cumberland counties.

This is the first time a portion of New Jersey has been under D3 status (extreme drought) since October 2002, according to David Robinson, New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University.

While every spot in the state is considered dry, the northern segment of the state is in the best shape, according to the map.

When a region reaches D3 status, crop loss may be widespread, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Christmas tree farms are stressed, and dairy farmers are struggling.

"We're going to need multiple inches of rain to start climbing out of this," Robinson said.

Where's the rain?

New Jersey has been dealing with a very persistent atmospheric pattern that both produces dry weather and holds off any wet weather from making it into our region, Robinson said.

"Until something comes to knock it out of place ... we're not going to shift into another gear very readily," he said.

There is some rain predicted for the tail end of this upcoming weekend. It won't pull New Jersey out of this dry spell, but it can help reduce the risk of fire danger.

Bone dry conditions have led to a series of wildfires in the Garden State over the past several days.

Any rainfall events, Robinson said, moisten the ground and raise atmospheric humidity levels.

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