Ali Reid joined AccuWeather Early from Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, highlighting growing concerns among local communities and farmers about ongoing rainfall shortages stretching from New England through the mid-Atlantic.

Washington Crossing

Persistent drought conditions are affecting large areas of the Northeast United States, including New England and the mid-Atlantic. Communities in states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are experiencing significant rainfall deficits. Farmers in New England report total crop losses and are struggling with insufficient hay for livestock, leading to increased costs as they purchase feed. Water sources, including wells, reservoirs, and lakes like Lake Champlain, are at historically low levels, impacting recreation, local ecosystems, and water supplies.

Experts warn that the effects of the drought extend beyond agriculture, affecting recreation and the environment, with concerns about the upcoming planting season. Residents are being urged to conserve water, as the drought's impact does not stop at state lines and continues to pose challenges across the region.

Drought persists in New England and mid-Atlantic

Some of the driest conditions in the country are unfolding here in the Northeast. And from New England to the Mid-Atlantic, communities are still facing rainfall deficits and mounting concerns for farmers and families. Our Ali Reid is live this morning from Washington's Crossing in Pennsylvania with more. Hey, Ali. It looks a little eerie, Ali, this morning behind you. Good morning, Melissa. Oh, yeah. Melissa Burney, I was going to say, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. The fog is really that intense behind me here in Pennsylvania this morning. That's on the Jersey side, too. Just to give you some history, you know, Washington Crossing, it's called that because this is where George Washington crossed the Delaware. So we kind of are in that spot where New Jersey, just a hop, skip it away from where we are live this morning. I think that's important to add because the drought, while we're seeing consistencies across Pennsylvania and New Jersey and places like West Virginia as well, this is expanding far beyond just the Mid-Atlantic. This is going up even north of here in New England as well. And it's pretty severe up that way, places like Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. And this is causing some significant consequences for those that somewhat are living here in Pennsylvania and Jersey but really impacting those in New England as well. I want to take to some video. This is a gorgeous drone shot of both New Hampshire and Vermont from what you're about to just see. But this gives you a good idea. Fall foliage, absolutely gorgeous. But the drought is the concern that we're dealing with and something you may not see when you're looking at those beautiful shots from above. Right. But across New England, those fields are really drying out at alarming rates. In Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, again, some farmers are already reporting total crop losses this year. Hay that would normally be stored away to feed cattle through the winter simply isn't growing, forcing farmers to buy feed at higher costs. Communities are seeing wells and reservoirs dip, while low stream and river flows are adding pressure on ecosystems. When soil becomes this depleted, experts warn it raises serious concerns about what planting season will look like next spring. That uncertainty extends beyond farms, touching recreation, water supplies and the environment itself. A ripple effect, climatologists say, is unfolding across the region. Lake levels, because they're so low, particularly in Lake Champlain, we're getting to points that we haven't seen since 1941. And that has implications for boating. It also has implications for lake species. So we've got the biology, we have recreation, we have farming. We have everything across the board in terms of who's affected, both on the western side of the state, the eastern side of the state, north and south. That ripple effect extends far beyond Vermont even, too, right? We talked about states like Pennsylvania, where I'm live this morning, West Virginia, New Jersey. The call is growing for residents to cut back on water use. And experts stress drought doesn't stop at those state lines, right? Whether it's farmers, families or ecosystems, everyone feels the impact when water runs low. Now, of course, the best thing would be if we could get rain in these states. That is what we look for when you're dealing with something like this significant drought that the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, New England is really facing right now. But, of course, even in states like here in Pennsylvania, I think people forget because it maybe isn't, they aren't seeing it or it's not directly impacting them like it might be in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, right? They're seeing some significant problems. I'm hearing that there are people up that way that don't even have water in their house right now. So that's a problem certainly up in New England. But places like here where I'm live in Pennsylvania today, conserving water is your best bet. It's only going to help because, as you just heard, these droughts do not stop, guys, across state lines. So it's a regional issue.

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