Rain Doesn't Dent Drought Threatening NYC, Forecasters Say

NEW YORK CITY — On Sunday night, New York City received its first measurable rainfall since late September, but it was not enough to end the drought conditions, as the city is headed into another dry week, a National Weather Service meteorologist told Patch.

Between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Sunday, the city received around a quarter of an inch of rain, Meteorologist David Stark told Patch.

The rain was welcome after two separate brush fires spread in Prospect Park on Friday night and then again on Saturday, catching on dry leaves, grass and trees.

This rain helped clear the city's air of smoke, which has also been drifting over from the wildfires in New Jersey, Stark said.

"The air quality started to improve on Sunday when the wind started changing direction, but the rain obviously helps clean the air up a little bit, so right now, the air quality looks good all over the area based on what we've seen," Stark said.

This week, the city has a 20 percent chance of rain on Thursday, but the forecast for the rest of the week and weekend is dry, Stark said.

Ongoing Drought Watch

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officially declared a drought watch for 15 New York counties, including New York City, due to declining groundwater levels on Nov. 2, and it is still in effect as of Nov. 11.

Complicating the issue, the city is repairing a leaking aqueduct that brings water from the Catskills to the city, so residents are relying on the reservoirs in the city's suburbs more than usual.

A watch is the first of four levels of drought advisories — they escalate in severity from a drought watch to a drought warning, a drought emergency, and finally, a drought disaster.

For a drought watch, there are no mandatory restrictions, but people are encouraged to voluntarily decrease their water use by fixing running toilets, reporting leaking fire hydrants, and sweeping sidewalks instead of hosing them down, DEC officials said.

State and city government agencies are now making plans to conserve water and are encouraging New Yorkers to do their part as well, Mayor Eric Adams said.

"Mother Nature is in charge, and so we must adjust based on the lack of water and rain we have received," Adams said in an Instagram video when the drought watch was first announced.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.