Drought Watch: Dry conditions create high fire danger in NJ, western Pa
PHILADELPHIA - Wildfires continue to pop up in some of the driest areas of New Jersey.
Last weekend, there was a fire around Medford in Burlington County. This weekend, there's one near Fort Dix, also in Burlington County.
According to NOAA, the parent of the National Weather Service, that part of N.J. has severe drought conditions. Those super dry areas also include parts of Ocean County, Atlantic County, Camden County, and Gloucester County.
Huge brush fire contained after burning dangerously close to Medford homes
Skyfox flew over the scene in Medford where huge plumes of smoke were plainly visible, along with huge flames leaping out of a grove of trees.
Now, this is not officially a drought. That designation comes from local and state governments. Speaking of which, New Jersey has issued a drought watch for the entire state.
And, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service says fire danger for the entire state right now is very high.
The rest of South Jersey has moderate drought conditions. So does much of Delaware.
Drought Watch in New Jersey: When we could see rain and how to conserve water
New Jersey residents are being asked to take steps to conserve water after officials declared a Drought Watch on Thursday. Here's a look at when we could see rain again and how close the area is to seeing a record number of days without rain.
Pennsylvania is pretty dry, too. Parts of Bucks, Montgomery, and Berks counties have moderate drought conditions as do all of Chester and Delaware counties, in addition to Philadelphia.
The Reading Area Water Commission has even asked residents to conserve water and reduce their water use by 10-15 percent because of how dry it has been.
Your Weather Authority says there has been no rain in October for most places across the Delaware Valley, and there's no change in the forecast anytime soon. They say we won't get any rain until early November.
Much of the country is also pretty dry. The driest areas are in Ohio, West Virginia, and the Plains.
The places that don't have drought conditions are the states that received torrential rain from hurricanes Helene and Milton in the South.