New Jersey hasn't had a dry spell this bad since Teddy Roosevelt was president, leading to wildfire outbreaks across the state. Now, Gov. Phil Murphy has issued a drought warning, asking residents to be judicious in their water use to avoid nonvoluntary water restrictions down the line. "Every one of us needs to do everything we can to conserve water," Murphy said Wednesday, adding that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service had addressed 537 wildfires so far since early October, per NBC News. For context, Murphy noted there'd been about 500 fewer fires during the same period in 2023.
New Jersey's last drought warning, which lasted about six months, was in 2016, according to Shawn LaTourette, the state's commissioner of environmental protection. Murphy recommended locals take such steps as shortening their showers, not using sprinklers, filling dishwashers all the way before running, and turning off the tap while brushing their teeth, per NJ.com. These actions could stave off a drought emergency, the highest alert that can be issued by the state, and one that would come with mandatory restrictions, per the AP.
New Jersey currently has enough water for drinking and fighting the fires that are erupting, but two of the state's major reservoirs are hovering at around 50% capacity, and things could worsen if rain doesn't come soon. Some parts of the state haven't seen rain in 40 days, partly because hurricane season didn't bring the usual October storms to the region, state climatologist Dave Robinson tells NBC. "We've had longer droughts before, but in terms of just how exceptional the dry weather has been, we've not seen something like this," he says. New Jerseyans can keep tabs on drought conditions here. (More New Jersey stories.)
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