This summer’s dry heat and cooler temperatures are a stark contrast to the humid conditions Central New Yorkers are used to.
But general forecaster Adam Gill at the National Weather Service Binghamton said this isn’t as out of the ordinary as it might feel.
“About one out of three summers are typically this dry here in the Northeast, but the last three years have been well above average with precipitation,” Gill said.
Some Western New York areas are classified as abnormally dry by the U.S. Drought Monitor. And Gill said Onondaga County may not be far behind.
“Looking ahead it’s going to be fairly dry, this dry pattern is going to be continuing," said Gill, noting he expected the region to be classified as abnormally dry, the lowest drought level.
The dry conditions could mean a low yield of shallow-root vegetables for New York farms. But Gill said that should shift later this summer.
“We’ll be entering in more of a warmer pattern here, especially as we head towards late July into August. There's indication that we’ll have a little bit of a pattern shift. We’ll probably be warming up and getting more humid and we’ll also increase our rain chances as well,” Gill said.
He said the activity over the ocean this year could contribute to that.
“It is looking like this season is going to be fairly active with tropical storms and hurricanes. Once the Atlantic really gets going, here, we always have to worry about remnant systems coming up along the coast and giving us rain. Like last year, we had several remnant systems come through and bring lots of rain. So that’s definitely a concern as the tropics become more active,” Gill said.
Residents can check the county’s drought status on drought.gov where an updated map is released each Thursday.