Rain was welcomed in Greater Gardner as the area has suffered from drought. It is unclear whether the current predicted rainy weather will be sufficient to change the Drought designation after the 2nd driest October since the late 1800’s.
Greater Gardner MA in Severe Drought – Winter May Be More Normal
The Greater Gardner MA area is considered to be in Severe Drought at this time, along with a total of 49% of Worcester County. 51% of Worcester County is experiencing even worse conditions with a designation of Extreme Drought. Streamflow conditions are Low (Red) or Much Below (Dark red) Yellow indicates Below, Green is Normal, and there’s one near Worcester which is Above.
This is a time to conserve water and to be extremely careful with anything flammable. Various area fire departments have been responding to fires throughout the region. Drought.gov notes that October 2024 was the 2nd driest October on record over the past 130 years with 2.68 inches of precipitation less than normal. However, because of much higher precipitation earlier in the year, 2024 is so far the 44th wettest year to date over the past 130 years. (January to October 2024 had 3.09 inches of precipitation more than normal) It has been a year of extremes.
Winter Weather Outlook
NOAA – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting above normal temperatures in December through January 2024 for Massachusetts. Precipitation is expected to return to normal at some point according to the NOAA map. For more info, visit NOAA, CLICK HERE.