Drought? What drought, you say? Yes, despite recent rains, Delaware is still officially under a drought warning, while southeastern Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey remain in an official drought emergency, the most severe stage of drought declarations.

Over the last three months, rainfall in the Delaware River Basin has been above average, with the greatest surplus in the upper basin. In response, reservoirs in New York are now about 85% of average, way up from 40% in February. On the other hand, though, except for the days just after a good rain, the flow rates for most area streams are still well below average, and groundwater levels in many monitoring wells are still down. The situation is partly due to the significant long-term rainfall deficits, leaving many counties in New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania ten inches or more below average over the last year.

The bottom line: though water conditions have significantly improved, the summer months and the accompanying high water demand are still ahead of us. The long-term deficit means we still need several more inches of rain, beyond what's average, for official drought declarations to be lifted.