3 days Ago By USA TODAY
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday issued the first warning in 22 years amid historically low rainfall and New York City departments will take steps to prevent drought conditions from worsening, the mayor's office said, such as limiting water use in park fountains and golf courses, fixing plumbing leaks, and restricting lawn watering. Public transit will also be washed less frequently. "Our city vehicles may look a bit dirtier, and our subways may look a bit dustier, but it's what we have to do to delay or stave off a more serious drought emergency,” New York City officials will also pause the final phase of a $2 billion repair project of the Delaware Aqueduct so it can be reopened and used, bringing in water from four reservoirs.
The 86-mile aqueduct delivers about half of the city's water supply, according to the mayor's office. Also on Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a , urging residents to conserve water in the coming weeks.
Fifteen counties were under a drought warning. "Recent unseasonably warm weather and lack of precipitation have led to dry conditions for many counties in New York, resulting in Hudson Valley and New York City area counties being elevated to drought warning status and a statewide drought watch," Hochul said. An unusually dry October has fueled drought conditions across the nation.
According to the , about 41% – or 149 million Americans – are under drought watches across the nation as of Monday. Over 318 acres of major crops are affected by drought conditions, and it has forced some farmers to The dry weather has also fueled more wildfires, "This is not normal, and I’m pretty sure if you’re outside, you may enjoy the beautiful weather in November, but the reality is climate change is real, and it’s impacting our city,” Adams said. “And while we cannot make it rain, we can take actions to reduce the risk of drought emergencies in our city.
” The dry weather has also fueled an unusually active fire season in New York. The city's fire department responded to from Oct. 29 to Nov.
12 – a record for any two-week stretch. Blazes also stretched along the , prompting more than 160 homes to evacuate. One while battling the fires, state officials said.
A is in effect through November due to increased fire risk. Extreme weather events are expected to worsen with global warming, according to the Rising temperatures are disrupting precipitation patterns and the water cycle, making floods and droughts more likely and severe. According to , Central Park saw a historically low rainfall amount of 0.
19 inches between Sept. 19 and Sunday. It is the driest seven-week stretch in Central Park history since records began in 1869, beating the 1995 record of 0.
27 inches. The mayor first issued a drought watch on Nov. 2 after the historic lack of rain, ordering city agencies to update water conservation plans.
The last drought warning in New York City was The city had issued a drought watch in December 2001 because of low reservoir water levels and upgraded it to a drought warning the next month, according to New York City Emergency Management. In April 2002, it was heightened to a drought emergency. Drought conditions lasted 14 months, according to officials.
This season's dry weather isn't limited to the Northeast. Last month was the on record for the contiguous United States. Copernicus Climate Change Service also announced that 2024 is "virtually certain" to be the It is also expected to be the first full year where global average temperatures were at least 2.
7 degrees above preindustrial levels, a target that world leaders and climate scientists had hoped to stay below to curb rising temperatures..
