Drought

Restrooms at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area were closed on Jan. 1, 2025, due to water scarcity in Central Texas. The park's wells could not keep up with water demand, which was about 7,000 gallons daily. The wells were only producing about 4,000 gallons of water per day. The Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District, which manages groundwater in Gillespie County, is currently in "critical" drought conditions. San Antonio Express-News (Texas), Jan 2, 2025

The Susquehanna River was very low, as were smaller creeks and streams. Well levels were dropping. WGAL-TV (Lancaster, Pa.), Dec 19, 2024

The absence of rain in the Susquehanna River Valley was hurting winter crops. WGAL-TV (Lancaster, Pa.), Dec 19, 2024

Restoration efforts at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge were ahead of schedule. The thinning project to lower pine density has proceeded more quickly than expected due to the drought. About three-fourths of the 100-acre plot of loblolly pines has been cleared. The goal is to allow some of the hardwood species like the oaks to establish themselves and grow. WBOC-TV CBS 16 Salisbury (Md.), Dec 19, 2024

Just one of five water pumps were running at a time at Watergarden in an effort to conserve water while Corpus Christi was in stage 3 water restrictions. City of Corpus Christi (Texas), Dec 18, 2024

The annual Thanksgiving bonfire was postponed in November due to the fire risk and extreme drought and was rescheduled to take place on Dec. 28. Massachusetts experienced many wildfires during the recent historic dry spell with 1200% more wildfires than usual in October. The bonfire tradition began in the 1960s. WBZ News Radio (Boston, Mass.), Dec 18, 2024

The low level of Canyon Lake led a restaurant and bar to close its doors for the remainder of 2024, but the establishment’s outdoor bar will be open on weekends. As of November 14, Canyon Lake was at 52% of capacity with a mean water level of 882 feet, according to Water Data for Texas. Customers were disappointed about the restaurant closing and were praying for rain. MySA (San Antonio, Texas), Nov 14, 2024

The heat and lack of rain during the autumn killed many evergreen tree species on the Eastern Shore. One Christmas tree grower in Denton lost about 300 mature trees and 1,700 new seedlings, even ones watered with drip irrigation. The owner intended to plant extra trees. Another Christmas tree farm owner stated that this was the first year in 40 years of operation that all of the trees have needed water. A Christmas tree farm owner in Galena lost 1,500 of the 2,000 trees. Altogether, nearly 2,000 trees perished. They purchased additional trees from another tree grower to have an adequate supply for their customers. My Eastern Shore (Cambridge, Md.), Dec 12, 2024

The dry fall in Maine has led to dry wells in 10 of the state’s 16 counties. The Maine Drought Task Force was aware of at least one dry well in each of the affected counties, including four in York County where conditions were the most severe, for a total of 20 wells so far. The next highest are Oxford and Kennebec counties each had three dry wells apiece. Dry wells were also reported in Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Hancock, Lincoln, Waldo and Washington counties. The Piscataquis Observer (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine), Dec 17, 2024

New York City’s Central Park and Prospect Park canceled their fireworks shows to avoid inadvertently sparking a fire. A drone show will replace the fireworks in Prospect Park. PIX11 (New York City), Dec 5, 2024

The warm, dry weather in Howard County shrank the corn kernels, decreasing yields by an estimated 7%, according to the commodity manager for an ethanol plant. Yields were high prior to the dry fall. CNHI News (Montgomery, Ala.), Dec 13, 2024

Farmers in Webster County have stocked up on hay because their fall pasture was less productive than usual. Cover crops could not be planted as there was little rain to water the crop. KY3 (Springfield, Mo.), Dec 15, 2024

Whitehall remained in a state of emergency, which began on December 8. The boil water order has ended as testing showed that the water was safe to drink, except for those with compromised immune systems. Times Union (Albany, N.Y.), Dec 15, 2024 Whitehall’s Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting at 9:25 p.m. on Sunday evening and voted to declare a state of emergency due to a failure in the water system and a critically low water supply. A distribution of water was scheduled to begin at the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company on the morning of Monday, December 9. Water was shut off in the village of Whitehall at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 8 due to the declaration of a local state of emergency. Schools were closed on Monday, December 9. WTEN ABC News 10 (Albany, N.Y.), Dec 9, 2024 The Whitehall Department of Public Works issued a water restriction notice on December 8, urging residents to conserve water because the groundwater level was low. WTEN ABC News 10 (Albany, N.Y.), Dec. 8, 2024

Corpus Christi was presently in Stage 2 drought restrictions and is expected to enter Stage 3 restrictions in August when Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon combined storage are expected to drop below 20%. Corpus Christi entered Stage 1 restrictions in June 2022 and moved to Stage 2 in March 2024. Corpus Christi Caller Times (Texas), June 11, 2024 Stage 2 drought restrictions took effect in Corpus Christi on March 12, nearly two years after Stage 1 drought restrictions began. The combined capacity of Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir have dropped below 30%, which is the trigger for the next stage. On Monday, March 11, the combined capacity was 29.4%, according to the city manager. Stage 1 drought restrictions began in June 2022. Corpus Christi Caller Times (Texas) March 12, 2024

Customers in Lancaster were still urged to voluntarily conserve water as the Conestoga River remained low. The water bureau initially asked the public to conserve water on November 4. WGAL (Lancaster, Pa.), Dec 12, 2024

A 200-acre tree planting project was put on hold in Readington during the fall of 2024 due to drought. The state was asked to perform a prescribed burn to prepare a field for planting, but drought prevented it. The tree planting was expected to begin in spring 2025. TAPinto Flemington/Raritan (N.J.), Dec 12, 2024

The St. Clairsville reservoir will be dredged while the water level is low from drought. The city director of public service and safety expected that three to five feet of sediment could be removed from the north end of the reservoir, which would increase the storage capacity of the reservoir. Dredging should begin the week of December 16. WTOV9 FOX (Steubenville, Ohio), Dec 10, 2024

A fall tick drag in Suffolk County did not turn up any ticks. The near total absence of rainfall between late August and mid-November may have drastically reduced the East End tick population. The drought began when larval ticks emerged in August, and recent rain likely came too late to save them. East Hampton Star (N.Y.), Nov 27, 2024

The sale and use of fireworks classified as “skyrockets with sticks” or “missiles with fins” was prohibited by the Bexar County commissioners Court due to drought conditions. The ban on the two types of fireworks was in effect and will remain until March 10. KENS 5 (San Antonio, Texas), Dec 11, 2024

Dry conditions have allowed a few wildfires to spark in the western part of North Carolina. In McDowell County, a blaze burned 518 acres and was 75% contained, and a 730-acre wildfire was 92% contained in Gaston County. WNCN-TV NBC 17 (Raleigh, N.C.), Dec 9, 2024