New England Drought Information
Science Center Objects
Droughts are among the most costly hydrologic hazards in the United States. They are generally slow in developing, frequently occur over a long period of time, and can affect large areas and populations. The severity of a hydrologic drought is not always obvious until these water supplies are seriously depleted.
The U.S. Geological Survey New England Water Science Center network of long-term continuous record stations is important in measuring the severity of an existing or potential drought and making projections of subsequent drought conditions.
The New England Water Science Center continuously monitors the status of surface water in New England's principal rivers, reservoirs, and aquifers to compare existing streamflows, reservoir storage, and groundwater levels with normal and extreme recorded values.
DEFINITIONS OF DROUGHT
Droughts do not have the same meaning or significance to all people. No generally accepted definition is adequate, nor is one practical, because drought is the result of many different factors. In general, "drought is a condition of moisture deficit sufficient to have an adverse effect on vegetation, animals, and man over a sizeable area" (Warrick, 1975)a. Three common definitions are:
- Meteorological drought: "A period of abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged for the lack of water to cause serious hydrologic imbalance in the affected area" (Huschke, 1959)b.
- Agricultural drought: "A climatic excursion involving a shortage of precipitation sufficient to adversely affect crop production or range production" (Rosenberg, 1979)c.
- Hydrologic drought: "A period of below average water content in streams, reservoirs, aquifers, lakes, and soils" (Yevjevich and others, 1977)d.
References
a Warrick, R.A., 1975, Drought hazard in the United States: A research assessment: Boulder, Colorado, University of Colorado, Institute of Behavorial Science, Monograph no. NSF/RA/E-75/004, 199 p.
b Huschke, R.E., ed., 1959, Glossary of meteorology: Boston, American Meteorological Society, 638 p.
c Rosenberg, N.J., ed., 1979, Drought in the Great Plains- Research on impacts and strategies: Proceedings of the Workshop on Research in Great Plains Drought Management Strategies, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, March 26-28: Littleton, Colorado, Water Resources Publications, 225 p.
d Yevjevich, Vujica, Hall, W.A., and Salas, J.D., eds., 1977, Drought research needs, in Proceedings of the Conference on Drought Research Needs, December 12-15, 1977: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 276 p.
HISTORICAL DROUGHTS IN NEW ENGLAND
DROUGHT RELATED MAPS
USGS Drought WaterWatch streamflow maps.
The data used to produce these maps are provisional and have not been reviewed or edited. They may be subject to significant change.
- 7-day average streamflow conditions map of New England in hydrologic units. The map displays conditions adjusted for this time of the year. USGS sites having at least 30 years of record are used. The map is updated daily.
- Current real-time streamflow conditions map for New England stations. The map displays current streamflow conditions compared to historical streamflow for the day of the year. Only streamgages with at least 30 years of record are used.
- Latest month average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the month of the year map. The map displays monthly streamflow conditions at individual streamgages.
- Latest month below normal streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the month of the year. The map displays monthly streamflow conditions at individual streamgages.
Monthly hydrologic conditions in New England
National Water Dashboard for New England
SELECTED USGS DROUGHT PUBLICATIONS
USGS Open File Report 93-642: Drought
Drought and climate . evapotranspiration . fires
Management of water resources for drought conditions
More USGS Drought related publications are under "Publications" tab.
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Date published: October 28, 2020Status: CompletedNew England Drought, 2020
Below average and infrequent rainfall from May through September 2020 led to an extreme hydrologic drought across much of New England, with some areas experiencing a flash (quick-onset) drought.
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Date published: May 18, 2018Status: ActiveTowards Understanding the Impact of Drought on the Arsenic Hazard for the Private Domestic Well Population in the United States
The USGS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are examining the potential effects of droughts on the arsenic hazard in private well water across the Nation.
Contacts: Melissa A Lombard, Joseph Ayotte
2020 drought in New England
Below average and infrequent rainfall from May through September 2020 led to an extreme hydrologic drought across much of New England, with some areas experiencing a flash drought, reflecting its quick onset. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded record-low streamflow and groundwater levels throughout the region. In September, the U.S....
Lombard, Pamela J.; Barclay, Janet R.; McCarthy, Dee-Ann E.
Meeting the challenge: U.S. Geological Survey North Atlantic and Appalachian Region fiscal year 2020 in review
The utilization, preservation, and conservation of the Nation’s resources requires well-informed management decisions. The North Atlantic and Appalachian Region (NAAR) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supports science-based decision making for Federal, State, and local policymakers to meet the challenges of today and into the future. The...
Enhancement of primary production during drought in a temperate watershed is greater in larger rivers than headwater streams
Drought is common in rivers, yet how this disturbance regulates metabolic activity across network scales is largely unknown. Drought often lowers gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) in small headwaters but by contrast can enhance GPP and cause algal blooms in downstream estuaries. We estimated ecosystem metabolism across...
Hosen, Jacob D.; Aho, Kelly S.; Appling, Alison P.; Creech, E.C.; Fair, Jennifer H; Hall, Robert O Jr.; Kyzivat, Ethan; Lowenthal, Rachel; Matt, Serena; Morrison, Jonathan; Saiers, James E.; Shanley, James B.; Weber, Lisa; Yoon, Bryan; Raymond, Peter A. Tropical river suspended sediment and solute dynamics in storms during an extreme drought
Droughts, which can strongly affect both hydrologic and biogeochemical systems, are projected to become more prevalent in the tropics in the future. We assessed the effects of an extreme drought during 2015 on stream water composition in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. We demonstrated that drought base flow in the months leading up to the...
Clark, Kathryn E.; Shanley, James B.; Scholl, Martha A.; Perdrial, Nicolas; Perdrial, Julia N.; Plante, Alain F.; McDowell, William H.
Flood- and drought-related natural hazards activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in New England
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has many ongoing and recent water-related natural hazard activities in New England that can be used to help mitigate the effects of natural hazards in cooperation with other agencies. The themes related to potential hazards and the tools and science to better understand and address them include the following:...
Lombard, Pamela J.
Hydrologic Drought Decision Support System (HyDroDSS)
The hydrologic drought decision support system (HyDroDSS) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Rhode Island Water Resources Board (RIWRB) for use in the analysis of hydrologic variables that may indicate the risk for streamflows to be below user-defined flow targets at a designated site of interest, which is...
Granato, Gregory E.
Drought Conditions in Maine, 1999-2002: A Historical Perspective
Hydrologic drought can be defined as reduced streamflow, declining ground-water levels, and (or) reductions in lake or reservoir levels. Monthly precipitation totals, annual 7-day low-flow surface-water recurrence intervals, and month-end ground-water levels from drought years 1999-2002 show that 1999-2002 was the driest period of hydrologic...
Lombard, Pamela J.-
Date published: October 1, 2020New England Below Normal 28-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of year
Below Normal 28-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of year
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Date published: April 9, 2019Drought Streamflow Probabilities in Northeast Region
Maximum likelihood logistic regression (MLLR) is used to estimate drought probabilities for selected Northeast rivers and streams. Winter streamflows are used to estimate the chance of hydrologic drought during summer months. This application allows the display and query of these drought streamflow probabilities for Northeastern streams.
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Date published: March 4, 2019WaterWatch Toolkit
The USGS WaterWatch Toolkit provides online tools that allow users to search USGS sites in various ways; create a variety of maps, graphs, charts, animations, and tables; perform a variety of streamflow analyses, and retrieve summary statistics.
Attribution: Water Resources -
Date published: March 12, 2016WaterWatch
WaterWatch is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) World Wide Web site that displays maps, graphs, and tables describing real-time, recent, and past streamflow conditions for the United States. The real-time information generally is updated on an hourly basis.
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Date published: March 4, 2014HyDroDSS: Hydrologic Drought Decision Support System - Software page
Overview
The HyDroDSS is designed to provide water managers with risk-based information for balancing water-supply needs and aquatic-habitat protection goals to mitigate potential effects of hydrologic drought.
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Why doesn't a drought end when it rains?
Rainfall in any form will provide some drought relief. A good analogy might be how medicine and illness relate to each other. A single dose of medicine can alleviate symptoms of illness, but it usually takes a sustained program of medication to cure an illness. Likewise, a single rainstorm will not break the drought, but it might provide temporary... -
When does a drought begin and end?
The beginning of a drought is difficult to determine. Several weeks, months, or even years might pass before people know that a drought is occurring. The end of a drought can occur as gradually as it began. The first evidence of drought is usually seen in records of rainfall. Within a short period of time, the amount of moisture in soils can begin... -
Where in the Nation are droughts or very low flows occurring now? How can I see these sites on a map and get to the data?
To view the USGS streamflow information on drought, see the drought map on our WaterWatch site, which shows below-normal, 7-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the United States. Links to additional maps and drought data are listed on our Drought website and the U.S. Drought Portal . -
What causes drought?
A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions that results in water-related problems. The amount of precipitation at a particular location varies from year to year, but over a period of years, the average amount is fairly constant. In the deserts of the Southwest, the average precipitation is less than 3 inches per year. In contrast, the...