Drought in New Jersey, October 1 to 31, 2002

The wet pattern continued during October with well above normal rainfall. With the exception of July, near normal to above normal precipitation occurred in 7 of the past 8 months (March through October). This wetter trend followed a stretch of 8 consecutive months of below normal precipitation (July 2001 through February 2002). This nearly signals an end to the hydrologic drought that has gripped the region since late summer 2001.The Brookhaven Hydrologic Service Area (HSA) received an average of 5.54 inches of rain during October, which was 154 percent of normal. Union County received an average of over 7 inches, which was greater than 200 percent of normal. Significant rainfall was attributed to the remnants of Tropical Storm Kyle, which produced from 2 to 4 inches of rain on the 11th and 12th, and from a Nor'Easter on the 16th that produced an additional 2 inches of rain.In late October, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Yeneman declared a drought disaster in New Jersey, which allows farmers who suffered significant crop losses to apply for federal financial assistance. Many New Jersey farmers suffered losses of 50 percent or more, notably in commodities such as corn and soybean. On the 24th, New Jersey Governor James McGreevy issued an Administrative Order that called for a moderation of the water use restrictions that were in place.The combined storage in the 13 major reservoirs serving Northeast New Jersey on October 31st was 74.8 percent capacity, which was 5 to 10 percent above normal. Capacities in the individual reservoirs on October 31st were: Newark Reservoirs 57.6% (Percent capacity)Jersey City Reservoirs 78.5%North Jersey District 81.5%United Water of New Jersey 72.0%The State of New Jersey extended the state-wide Drought Emergency that it issued on March 4th, through October 31st. Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties were included in this emergency.