New York Drought: Insights from Expert Michael Finewood on Climate Change Impact

New York Drought Update

Michael Finewood, PhD, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Science, recently spoke on Fox Weather about New York’s drought. He highlighted that New York is experiencing a historic drought, with October recorded as the driest month since records began in the late 1800s. New York has declared a drought watch, and New Jersey is under a drought warning.

Finewood stated, “We’re not really anticipating a lot of rain, so we’re still going to be dealing with these drought conditions probably at least for the near future.” He noted that even if rain occurs soon, it will not be enough to fully alleviate the drought because the state is behind by seven to ten inches of rainfall.

Many reservoirs are at only 50% capacity, and groundwater levels continue to drop. Finewood emphasized that wet weather events will not end the drought. Instead, we should expect drought conditions to persist.

Finewood also discussed the link between this drought and climate change. He warned that higher temperatures and extreme weather patterns may make droughts more frequent in the future. He stressed that we should prepare for a “new normal” regarding weather patterns, making it crucial to understand the ongoing impacts of climate change.