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The US Drought Monitor's map of drought conditions across the country, which is released every Thursday, classified all Connecticut counties as experiencing severe drought conditions as of Thursday, Sept. 1, except for a portion of New London County which is experiencing extreme drought.
The website reported that drought persisted or expanded across much of the Northeast since the previous update, with increases in severe drought conditions in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
The US Drought Monitor is run in partnership with the following organizations:
- The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- The United States Department of Agriculture
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The news comes as Eversource Energy reported on Thursday that Connecticut's drought has been leaving the state's trees weak and vulnerable, with the potential to damage the electric system.
"It has been a hot, dry summer and our team of arborists is seeing telltale signs of stress like weakened branches and early fall color,” said Eversource Vegetation Management Manager for Connecticut Sean Redding. “We’ve seen the devastation storms can cause, and trees already in poor health are especially vulnerable to the effects of drought, raising even greater concern of them coming down in a storm, possibly taking down electric lines with them and causing power outages."
The company said it is working with forestry partners at the University of Connecticut to address tree concerns across the state.
Eversource also encouraged customers to work with the company and give permission when needed to trim and remove trees that may come down and cause outages.
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