NYC area forecast calls for much-needed rain this week, but not a ‘drought buster’

Nov. 19, 2024, 8:27 a.m.

While an inch of rain is expected to fall by the end of Friday, meteorologists say it still won’t be enough to undo the region’s drought conditions.

Someone walks their dog on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade as the city faces drought conditions on Nov. 15, 2024.

Forecasters say it could rain about as much as an inch by the end of the week in the New York metro area but that won’t be enough to undo the region’s historic dry stretch.

There’s potential for rain starting late on Wednesday night through Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with around an inch expected to fall in New York City through Friday. Slightly higher precipitation totals are predicted for the Lower Hudson Valley, while lower totals are forecast for Eastern Long Island.

The expected rain is a welcome development for the city, which is now under a drought warning along with 10 other counties in the state and with all of New Jersey. That means government officials are taking steps to conserve and balance local water supplies and are encouraging residents to reduce their water use to the extent possible.

Still, the National Weather Service says any precipitation this week won’t be a “drought buster.”

“It won’t get rid of the drought, it will improve it some, but we will still be looking at drought conditions after this rain moves through,” said Joe Pollina, a meteorologist with the service. “What it will do is ease a lot of the fire weather concerns that we have in the outlying areas of the New York City metro area.”

The rain is set to slowly taper off Thursday night into Friday, he said, adding that temperatures will be cooler on Thursday and Friday than they have been in recent days, with highs in the lower to mid 50s on Thursday and the lower to mid 40s on Friday.

It could also rain on Saturday, but dry conditions are slated to return on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The city's Emergency Management agency on Tuesday said it was activating a flash-flood plan due to the forecast. The agency advised New Yorkers to clear catch and storm basins clogged with leaves or other small debris ahead of the predicted rainfall.

The city’s drought warning is its first in 22 years and is the step before a drought emergency, which would trigger sanctions and fines in an effort to conserve water, city officials said on Monday.

NY declares drought warning as historic rain shortage continues NJ declares drought warning, as water shortages and fires pose a regional threat