Due to steady precipitation over the past week, Massachusetts has officially moved out of the “Extreme Drought” category in all areas of the state, according to the US Drought Monitor’s weekly report.
“Moderate Drought” conditions remain for nearly 63 percent of the state, according to the report. “Severe Drought” conditions are still in effect for almost 17 percent of the state, encompassing parts of the South Shore and the Cape and Islands.
Many parts of the state, which have been in a drought since early summer, improved one category since late October.
Drought conditions are “very little in the far west,” said Andy Nash, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton. “As you get into eastern Massachusetts, it’s considered D1 Moderate Drought, with a Severe Drought on the drought monitor for the southeastern part of the state.”
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Recent rainfall across the state has helped mitigate the drought, Nash said.
In the southern part of the state where drought conditions are driest, 2 to 3 inches of rain fell last week, “so that’s very helpful,” Nash said. Much of the precipitation came in the form of snow following record-setting snowfall on Friday.
“The latest drought monitor, which accounted for much of that precipitation, shows it did bring down the drought level in a lot of places,” Nash said.
About 1.5 to 2 inches of rain fell in the Boston area in the past seven days, Nash said. Central and western parts of the state saw roughly 1 to 1.5 inches of rain.
“Overall, we’re still in drought,” Nash said. “If the ground is wet in your lawn, that doesn’t mean we’re out of a drought.”
Repeated widespread rainfall “week after week after week” is needed for the drought to be eliminated across the state, he said. For rainfall to stem the drought, it must soak into the ground over time, replenishing water tables and reservoirs.
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“It’s going to take some time,” Nash said.
Matt Berg can be reached at matthew.berg@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattberg33.
November 05, 2020 at 10:14PM
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Mass. no longer in ‘Extreme Drought’ category with rain and snow last week - The Boston Globe
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