Governor Kathy Hochul directed DEC to issue an updated drought watch after consulting with the State Drought Management Task Force and federal partner agencies.
The watch now includes most New York counties except those located in the Adirondack, Eastern Great Lakes, and New York Metropolitan regions.
New York State is encouraging residents in affected counties, particularly those dependent on private groundwater wells, to conserve water whenever possible during the coming weeks.
A watch is the first of four levels of State drought advisories, which are watch, warning, emergency, and disaster. No mandatory restrictions are in place under a state drought watch. View the counties under drought watch on DEC's Current Drought Conditions webpage at https://bit.ly/3T4pPyQ.
Categories: New York, Weather