New York State (NYS) & New York City (NYC): Normal Conditions

• On January 3, 2025, New York lifted drought watch status for all counties and New York City. The entire state is now in normal conditions.
  
  
  • View NYS News Release (issued 1/3/25)
    
    
  • View NYC News Release (issued 1/3/25)
    
    
  • View information on the Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project
    
    
• On December 16, 2024, New York downgraded Regions II and IIA (incl. six counties in DRB and New York City) from a drought warning to a drought watch; the rest of the state remains in drought watch.
  
  
  • View NYS News Release (issued 12/16/24)
    
    
  • View NYC News Release (issued 12/16/24)

• On November 18, 2024, New York upgraded Regions II and IIA (incl. six counties in DRB and New York City) to a drought warning and placed the rest of the state in a drought watch. New York City paused its Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project.
  
  
  • View NYS News Release (issued 11/18/24)
    
    
  • View NYC News Release (issued 11/18/24)
    
    
  • View information on the Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project
    
    
• On November 2, 2024, New York declared a drought watch for Regions II and IIA, including six counties in the Delaware River Basin. New York City also was placed in drought watch.
  
  
  • View NYS News Release (issued 11/2/24)
    
    
  • View NYC News Release (issued 11/2/24)

New Jersey: Drought Warning

• On November 13, 2024, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) updated its Oct. 2024 statewide drought watch declaration to a statewide drought warning.
  
  
  • View News Release (issued 11/13/24)
    
    
• New Jersey Drought Watch: On October 17, 2024, NJDEP declared a drought watch for all N.J. counties.
  
  
  • View News Release (issued 10/17/24)
    

Pennsylvania: Drought Warning & Drought Watch

• After an April 2, 2025, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania updated the drought status of several counties. In the Delaware River Basin, the thirteen counties placed in drought watch in Nov. 2024 remain in drought watch. Schuylkill County has been upgraded from drought warning to drought watch, and Berks County remains in drought warning.
  
  
  • Click here to learn more
    
    
• On November 1, 2024, Pennsylvania declared drought conditions in 35 counties. Thirty-three counties - including 13 in the Delaware River Basin - are in drought watch. Two counties - Berks and Schuylkill, both in the DRB - are in drought warning. Two DRB counties - Wayne and Lackawanna - are in normal conditions.
  
  
  • View News Release (issued 11/1/24)

Delaware: Drought Watch

• On October 25, 2024, Delaware Governor John Carney issued a Drought Watch for the state of Delaware on the recommendation of the Delaware Water Supply Coordinating Council (WSCC). DRBC is a member of the WSCC & voted in favor of issuing the drought watch.
  
  
  • View News Release (issued 10/25/24)

Note about Basin State Drought Plans vs. DRBC Drought Plan

• The DRBC's drought operating plan, which is designed for managing regional storage, complements the plans of the states which respond to local water supply conditions.
  
  
• State drought plans consider factors such as precipitation amounts, soil moisture, streamflows, groundwater levels and local reservoir storage.
  
  
• Learn more about Basin State Drought Operations via the links below.

• Department of Environmental Conservation: Current Drought Conditions
  
  
• Department of Environmental Conservation: Drought Info Page
  
  
• USGS New York Water Science Center
  
  
• USGS Real-Time Water Data for New York
  
  
• USGS Groundwater Data for New York
  
  
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection Water Conservation Page

• New Jersey Drought Information (NJ Drought Hotline: 1-800-4-ITS-DRY or 1-800-448-7379)
  
  
• Department of Environmental Protection Division of Water Supply and Geoscience 
  
  
• USGS New Jersey Water Science Center
  
  
• USGS Real-Time Water Data for New Jersey
  
  
• USGS Groundwater Data for New Jersey

• Delaware Climate Office: Drought in Delaware
  
  
• Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control - Division of Water
  
  
• Delaware Geological Survey: Delaware Water Conditions
  
  
• USGS Water Science Center for Delaware, Maryland, and D.C.
  
  
• USGS Real-Time Water Data for Delaware
  
  
• USGS Groundwater Data for Delaware
  
  
• Water Resources Center at the University of Delaware

• Department of Environmental Protection Drought Information
  
  
• USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center
  
  
• USGS Pennsylvania Drought Monitoring
  
  
• USGS Real-Time Water Data for Pennsylvania
  
  
• USGS Groundwater Data for Pennsylvania