Following recommendations made by the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Beth Card today declared that except for the Southeast Region that saw improvement at the regional scale, all other regions within the Commonwealth will remain at their current drought levels. This includes the Cape Cod, Connecticut River Valley, Northeast, and Central Regions remaining at a Level 3-Critical Drought, and the Islands and Western Regions remaining at a Level 2-Significant Drought.
The Southeast Region has been upgraded to Level 2 – Significant Drought from a Level 3-Critical Drought. When a Level-3 Critical Drought and a Level 2-Significant Drought have been declared, the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan calls for the convening of an interagency mission group, which is already meeting, to more closely coordinate on drought assessments, impacts, and responses within state government.
These efforts are in addition to Level 1-Mild Drought actions, such as detailed monitoring of drought conditions, close coordination among state and federal agencies, and technical outreach and assistance to impacted municipalities.
Rainfall received during the later part of the month of August provided a much needed relief throughout the Commonwealth, particularly within the Southeast Region of the state where improvements were significantly made; however, the northern part of the region was still lagging. In addition, other northern parts of the Commonwealth, as well as Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket saw less than 2.5 inches of rainfall during the month of August.
Significantly, the recent rains have helped in the near term to lower fire danger and decrease the potential for newly ignited wildland fires, which have seen an increase in 2022. To date, approximately 905 wildland fires have been reported, burning an estimated 1,485 acres. 137 fires were recorded this August alone during some of the highest drought indices since 2016. In comparison, there were only 24 wildland fires reported in August 2021.
