Mid Atlantic Drought Update: Week Ending April 14

Today's weekly drought monitor update, which doesn't include the rainfall of the last 2 days, shows virtually no change from the previous week in the Mid Atlantic area. Maryland remains at 79% Moderate Drought (tan shading), and northern Virginia's dryness puts that statewide percentage at 17%.

The preliminary analysis from the National Climatic Data Center shows that this was the driest January to March period in Maryland since records began in 1895. This is the 4th year in a row that the state has been below the long-term average for the first quarter of the year. The trend has been downward since the late 1990's. The states of Delaware and New Jersey also set records for the driest first quarter, and for Pennsylvania it was the 2nd driest. Overall, the Northeast region had its driest January-March ever, although the U.S. on average was slightly above the long-term normal for the month of March.

Persistent showers on Tuesday and Wednesday have helped to reduce the deficits in the region. Through this morning, the year-to-date precipitation relative to average is:

Washington National     -3.29"/-30%
Washington Dulles       -3.40"/-31%
Baltimore (BWI Airport) -2.75"/-23%