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Drought Information: Delaware River Basin States
Current Basin State Drought Status

 

Map of the Delaware River Basin showing State-declared Drought Status. Map by the DRBC. 

Below is a listing of drought declarations (most recent back to 2024) and current drought status of each Delaware River Basin (DRB) state.


→ Pennsylvania: Drought Warning & Drought Watch for Multiple DRB Counties

  • On April 6, 2026, Pennsylvania upgraded the drought status of several counties from drought warning to drought watch, including Carbon, Northampton and Schuylkill counties in the DRB. Currently in the DRB, four counties are in drought warning, 12 are in drought watch and one county (Wayne) is in normal conditions.

  • After a February 18, 2026, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania placed an additional 11 counties in drought watch, including Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in the DRB. Sixteen counties had their drought status elevated to drought warning, including Berks, Carbon, Chester, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill counties in the DRB. Wayne County is the only DRB PA county that is in normal conditions.

  • After a January 8, 2026, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania placed an additional 11 counties in drought watch, including Berks, Chester, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon and Luzerne counties in the DRB.

  • After a December 4, 2025, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania placed an additional eight counties in drought watch, including Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe and Pike counties in the DRB.

  • After an October 10, 2025, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania placed an additional four counties in drought watch, including Carbon County in the DRB.

  • After a September 29, 2025, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania placed 25 counties in drought watch, including Schuylkill County in the DRB.

    • (issued 10/6/25)

  • After a July 2, 2025, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania updated the drought status of the remaining counties in drought watch to normal. All Commonwealth counties are now in normal conditions.



  • After a June 9, 2025, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania updated the drought status of several counties. In the Delaware River Basin, only five counties remain in drought watch: Berks (upgraded from drought warning), Lehigh, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia.



  • After an April 2, 2025, meeting of its Drought Task Force, Pennsylvania updated the drought status of several counties. In the Delaware River Basin, the thirteen counties placed in drought watch in Nov. 2024 remain in drought watch. Schuylkill County has been upgraded from drought warning to drought watch, and Berks County remains in drought warning.



  • On November 1, 2024, Pennsylvania declared drought conditions in 35 counties. Thirty-three counties - including 13 in the Delaware River Basin - are in drought watch. Two counties - Berks and Schuylkill, both in the DRB - are in drought warning. Two DRB counties - Wayne and Lackawanna - are in normal conditions.

    • (issued 11/1/24)

 

→ New York State (NYS): All DRB Counties in Normal Conditions

⇒ New York City (NYC): Normal Conditions

  • On March 26, 2026, New York announced that all upstate drought regions are in normal status.

    • (issued 3/26/26)

  • On September 24, 2025, New York expanded its September 10 drought declaration to place Region III in drought watch, which includes 2 counties in the DRB. 

    • (issued 9/24/25)

  • On September 10, 2025, New York expanded its August 29, 2025, drought watch to include additional counties, six of which are in the DRB.

    • (issued 9/10/25)

  • On January 3, 2025, New York lifted drought watch status for all counties and New York City. The entire state is now in normal conditions.

  • On December 16, 2024, New York downgraded Regions II and IIA (incl. six counties in DRB and New York City) from a drought warning to a drought watch; the rest of the state remains in drought watch.

    • (issued 12/16/24)

    • (issued 12/16/24)
  • On November 18, 2024, New York upgraded Regions II and IIA (incl. six counties in DRB and New York City) to a drought warning and placed the rest of the state in a drought watch. New York City paused its Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project.

  • On November 2, 2024, New York declared a drought watch for Regions II and IIA, including six counties in the Delaware River Basin. New York City also was placed in drought watch.

    • (issued 11/2/24)

    • (issued 11/2/24)


→ New Jersey: Statewide Drought Warning

  • On December 5, 2025, after a public hearing held December 4, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) placed the entire state under drought warning. 

    • (issued 12/5/25)

  • On October 1, 2025, the NJDEP placed the entire state under drought watch. 

    • (issued 10/1/25)

  • On June 11, 2025, NJDEP updated its Nov. 2024 statewide drought warning declaration. Most counties are now in normal conditions, with the southern coastal counties in drought watch.

    • (issued 6/11/25)

  • On November 13, 2024, NJDEP updated its Oct. 2024 statewide drought watch declaration to a statewide drought warning.

    • (issued 11/13/24)

  • New Jersey Drought Watch: On October 17, 2024, NJDEP declared a drought watch for all N.J. counties.

    • (issued 10/17/24)

 
→ Delaware: Normal Conditions

  • On August 18, 2025, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer lifted Delaware's drought watch, based on guidance from the State’s Water Supply Coordinating Council (WSCC) and the Governor’s Drought Response Committee.

    • (issued 8/18/25)

  • On October 25, 2024, Delaware Governor John Carney issued a Drought Watch for the state of Delaware on the recommendation of the Delaware Water Supply Coordinating Council (WSCC). DRBC is a member of the WSCC & voted in favor of issuing the drought watch.

    • (issued 10/25/24)


Note about Basin State Drought Plans vs. DRBC Drought Plan


  • The DRBC's drought operating plan, which is designed for managing regional storage, complements the plans of the states, which respond to local water supply conditions.

  • State drought plans consider factors such as precipitation amounts, soil moisture, streamflows, groundwater levels and local reservoir storage.

Learn more about Basin State Drought Operations via the links below.

Pennsylvania Drought Info








New Jersey Drought Info
  •  (NJ Drought Hotline: 1-800-4-ITS-DRY or 1-800-448-7379)

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New York Drought Info










Delaware Drought Info