NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Badly needed rain is in the forecast for the New York City area this week as the region continues to deal with a “severe” drought and wildfires.
The rain is expected late Wednesday into early Thursday as a storm system moves across the Northeast, according to AccuWeather. The rain won’t end the area’s drought but could help lower the fire threat.
Late last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor updated its drought intensity map to show that New York City, New Jersey and the Hudson Valley are under a “Severe Drought.”
Meanwhile, the latest reservoir level tracker from NYC Water shows the city’s water supply system at 61% capacity, as of Nov. 15. The drought could even upend a $2 billion project that got underway last month to fix a leaky aqueduct that supplies half of the water to the five boroughs.
Wildfires continue to pop up as conditions remain bone-dry across the Tri-State. The largest fire—the Jennings Creek fire—continued to burn in Sterling Forest State Park but was nearly 90% contained Monday after scorching more than 5,300 acres since Nov. 8, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
A New York state forest ranger, Dariel Vasquez, 18, died on Nov. 9 while fighting the raging fire. His funeral was scheduled for Monday at St. Peter's Church in Haverstraw.
On Saturday, hundreds of residents in Orange County were asked to voluntarily evacuate out of “an abundance of caution,” officials said, as high winds helped flames jump a containment line.
And on Sunday, the FDNY—which responded to a record 271 brush fires between Nov. 1 and Nov. 14—announced it had established the department’s first-ever Brush Fire Task Force.
New York City will continue to have an elevated fire risk early this week before Wednesday’s rain. NYC Emergency Management issued a Special Weather Statement on Monday, saying there’s an increased risk of fire spread amid windy conditions.
Winds will be gusty on both Monday and Tuesday as highs remain fairly mild for this time of year, according to AccuWeather.
Monday’s high in Central Park will be 64 degrees, while Tuesday and Wednesday will see highs in the upper 50s.
Temps will drop significantly in the city after the midweek rain. Highs will be around 51 on Thursday and in the mid-to-upper 40s on Friday and into the weekend.
