Nearly half a dozen wildfires are burning in New Jersey and red flag warnings cover the tri-state area from the Garden State to New York to Fairfield County, Connecticut, on Friday, a day after the US Drought Monitor published increasingly serious news. . The tri-state area is languishing in a prolonged and increasingly extreme drought.

It started in September, with a very dry start. We ended the month with a significant rainfall deficit. And then October came, we had a whopping 0.01 inch of rain, making October the driest calendar month in Central Park since record keeping began in the 1860s.

So far, November hasn’t broken the mold. A week into the month and we’re still waiting for our first drop of rain.

The prolonged and staggering dry spell has led to worsening drought in the tri-state region. The latest drought monitor update released Thursday shows that every county in the area is now under at least moderate drought conditions.

A severe drought in New Jersey has extended from South Jersey to Central and even parts of North Jersey. And for the first time since October 2002, parts of New Jersey are suffering from extreme drought. This includes Ocean County.

The lack of rain also impacts New York’s reservoirs, which supply water to nearly half the state, including New York. On average, reservoirs operate at approximately 79% capacity. Currently, the reservoir network is at approximately 64% capacity. Levels vary by site, but 3 of the 7 sites are operating at 50% capacity or less, with the lowest being around 34%.

Due to falling water levels, the New York Department of Environmental Protection has issued a drought alert, urging city agencies to reduce their water use. The watch also encourages residents to do their part to reduce the amount of water they use, suggesting actions such as shorter showers.

Widespread drought is also the main factor in the region’s persistent fire risk. The lack of precipitation has resulted in large amounts of dry brush, making it easier for wildfires to start and spread quickly.

As a result, there are currently several active wildfires in the state of New Jersey. Some started as recently as this week, others have been burning since Halloween last month. And conditions will get even worse on Friday.

Wildfire risk can be amplified daily by low humidity and gusts. Relative humidity is a measure of humidity in the air. When it drops to 30% or below, wildfires break out easily. Wind gusts, especially those over 25 mph, contribute to the rapid spread of fires, making fires very difficult to contain.

Until the end of the work week, low humidity and gusty winds will persist and the fire risk will remain very high. Red flag warnings were issued Thursday afternoon for nearly a dozen New Jersey counties and many New York counties, including all five New York City boroughs. Fairfield County, Connecticut, is also affected.

Check the latest weather alerts in your neighborhood here.

Until we get significant rain and reduce our seasonal rain deficit by nearly eight inches, the fire risk will only get worse.

Our next chance of rain will be Sunday evening, but it won’t have too much impact. Between a quarter and half an inch of rain is expected. And while any rain is worth celebrating at this point, that won’t scratch the surface of the rain we need to get back to normal.