All of Upstate NY state is now under drought alerts as the long dry spell plods on

Syracuse, N.Y. — A drought watch has now been issued for nearly all of Upstate New York, with the southeastern corner of the state under a more severe drought warning.
The state remains under a burn ban through the end of the month, and more than half of New York state is at high or very high danger of rapid wildfire spread.
Some relief could some late this week from a strong storm system moving in from the Midwest. That could put a dent in the drought, depending on how much rain falls and where. Some parts of the state are so parched it will take more than the 1 to 2 inches forecast from this storm to end the drought.
“Recent unseasonably warm weather and lack of precipitation have led to dry conditions for many counties in New York, resulting in Hudson Valley and New York City area counties being elevated to drought warning status and a statewide drought watch,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said today in a statement.
A drought watch is the lowest of four drought categories; a warning is the next step up. (The two highest are emergency and disaster.) Under a watch, water conservation is encouraged but not mandatory. A warning means that public water supplies and industries are advised to implement drought contingency plans.
Record-warm temperatures and historically low rainfall over the past few months has led to the drought and to the worst wildfires in the state in nearly two decades. While nearly all of New York state has been abnormally dry the past couple of months, the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island have been nearly rain-free.
Poughkeepsie has had a total of just under 1 inch of rain since Sept. 1; normally, it would have seen 10 inches since then.
Temperatures have been record-setting across the state. On Nov. 5, Syracuse reached 80 degrees, making it one of the four warmest November days since records began in 1902.