NH’s Drought Isn’t A Laughing Matter

I have poked fun at every drought that The Granite State has gone through since I began providing NH based content in 2013. But the latest WMUR-TV piece has made me realize that it's no joke.

By the way, the featured image for this article is The Sonoran Desert somewhere in Arizona, so don't be alarmed. As far as I know, the drifting desert sand hasn't made it to New Hampshire yet.

According to the Watershed Department of NH's Environmental Services, as a state, we have been below normal for 90 days, a condition that is decidedly abnormal.

So just how bad is it?

You've got to figure that right now we're below average by inches, 3, 4 or 5 inches around the state.

 

That means in order to catch up?

 

You've got to have that much water ON TOP OF precipitation that we'd normally be getting. - Ted Diers NH DES

It's amazing how similar this is to the EXTREME drought of 2016.

The Seacoast area was as dry as dust that Autumn and I can't help wondering if we're headed to a similar result.

The thing about New England though, the weather always manages to battle extreme conditions with the equal and opposite extreme conditions and eventually everything turns out alright.

In the meantime though, I'd follow Mr. Diers guidelines. I'd suggest to stop running the hose and sprinklers unless you absolutely have to as there may be a frost tonight anyway. Watering you garden would be a complete waste of water AND your time.

When will we get relief? According to the meteorologist, there isn't a single rain drop predicted for the next 4 days.