Recent snowstorms and rain showers have been beneficial, but state DEP says a lot more help from Mother Nature is needed.
New Jersey needed rain the past few weeks, and got some. New Jersey needed snow the past few weeks, and got some.
All that precipitation has helped to elevate the state's drinking water supply to higher levels. But it's still not enough to knock out the drought warnings in 14 counties and the moderate to severe drought conditions plaguing two-thirds of the Garden State, officials said.
"The recent rain has helped and is certainly welcome. It has been coming in steady, soaking waves but we still need more periods of sustained rainfall or snowmelt," said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Winter takes a break, but for how long?
Hajna said the DEP won't even consider lifting the drought warnings unless the region gets "multiple precipitation events over a sustained period."
Precipitation down, then up
Climate data from the National Weather Service show that despite getting a good dose of precipitation in December, all three regions of the state ended the month with totals below average.
- Newark received 2.91 inches of precipitation (rain plus melted snow), which is almost an inch below normal for the month.
- Trenton received 2.65 inches of precipitation, which is 1.05 inches below normal for the month.
- Atlantic City received 3.29 inches of precipitation, which is 0.40 inches below normal for the month.
So far this year, thanks to the snow and rain that fell during the past week, all three regions are running slightly above normal in precipitation totals, the weather service stats show.
- During the first 11 days of January, Newark received 1.67 inches of precipitation (rain plus melted snow), which is 0.37 inches above normal.
- During the first 11 days of January, Trenton received 1.28 inches of precipitation, which is 0.04 inches above normal.
- During the first 11 days of January, Atlantic City received 1.96 inches of precipitation, which is 0.79 inches above normal.
Reservoir levels
New Jersey's reservoir systems are still a mixed bag, according to the DEP. The Combined Northeast Reservoir System -- 12 reservoirs operated by four water suppliers serving the state's most densely populated region -- has been trending upward the past few weeks.
"This is good news because this is our largest system, and this is what we would expect to see in the winter," Hajna said.
However, the combined reservoir system's storage is still below its long-term average. As of this week, its storage level is about 66 percent, compared to a normal of about 78 percent for this time of year.
New Jersey's Combined Northeast Reservoir System -- 12 reservoirs operated by four water suppliers serving the state's most densely populated region -- has been gaining capacity (red dots on chart) during the past few weeks. (NJ Department of Environmental Protection) Three other reservoirs -- Newark, North Jersey District and Jersey City -- have all made slight gains during the past week, according to DEP tracking charts. As of Jan. 9:
- The Newark Reservoir was at 56 percent of its capacity; it is normally at 78 percent capacity this time of year.
- The North Jersey District Reservoir was at 68 percent of its capacity; it is normally at 80 percent capacity this time of year.
- The Jersey City Reservoir was at 77 percent of its capacity; it is normally at 91 percent capacity this time of year.
The Suez Reservoir system, which serves Bergen County, has trended downward during the past few weeks. Its three reservoirs are now at about 62 percent of their capacity, 6 percent below their normal capacity of 68 percent this time of year.
The latest U.S. drought map shows 72 percent of New Jersey continues to have severe or moderate drought conditions. This map was released on Thursday, Jan. 12. (National Drought Mitigation Center) Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.