Drought Monitor: Vermont Dry Conditions Unchanged Since Last Week

A drought is deepening across eastern New England and
Vermont is on the western fringe of that drought. 
Below normal rainfall is forecast for at least the
next week in northern New England. 

Drought conditions and dry soil conditions remained the same in Vermont over the past seven days, according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor.    

 Moderate drought still covered nearly a quarter of the state east of the Green Mountains and north of about Bradford. 

Abnormally dry conditions extended across the rest of northern Vermont east of the western foothills of the Green Mountains, according to the report, which was released Thursday morning. 

Vermont remains on the eastern edge of deepening drought in northeastern New England. Drought expanded a little in New Hampshire in the past week. All of Maine is in at least moderate drought, up from 75 percent of the state. Nearly 20 percent of Maine is in severe drought. And for the first time this drought cycle, a small area of the central Maine coast is in extreme drought.

The outlook isn't good. We've fallen into a weather pattern that soaks southern New England and leaves the north high and dry. 

Here in Vermont, the southern third of the state expect a half inch to an inch of rain between now and Sunday morning. Pretty decent. That tapers off to less than a quarter inch of rain north of Route 2. In Maine, up to a half inch of rain is forecast along the coast in the next day or so, but it won't be enough to really dent the drought. Up in northern Maine, little rain is forecast. 

Another problem: When there's a big El Nino, autumn tend to be dry in northern New England. Especially in September and October.  Not every time, but often. And sometimes that dry weather extends into the early winter. 

The drought could become worse. On top of that, all that greenery out there is going to turn brown and dry. Autumn leaves will fall, and become crunchy tinder underfoot, ready to start a new fire.

Already, there's been a recent forest fire in Vermont. A small, but difficult forest fire is burning on Hogback Mountain, near Bristol. Crews on Saturday had to haul water in backpacks and climb over ledges to get to the half-acre fire.

They dug a containment line around it, but it was burning underground. That's how dry it is. Even the half inch of rain that fell Saturday night did little to stop it. The blaze was likely an improperly extinguished recreational fire, according to the Bristol Fire Department. 

Just another reason to be vigilant about fire as the North Country dries out.