Long Island in severe drought status amid below-normal precipitation

Long Island is on pace for another abnormally dry month, despite Monday's showers and more predicted Tuesday, putting the region in severe drought territory, stoking concerns of potential wildfires and prompting calls to conserve water.

On June 9, the U.S. Drought Monitor raised Long Island from moderate drought status to severe. Through Monday, the Island had recorded 0.47 inches of rain in June, National Weather Service data shows. The normal rate of precipitation through June 21 on Long Island is 3.04 inches, according to the data.

A severe drought is unusual for the upper Northeast region because of the timing, said Brian Fuchs, a geoscientist and climatologist with the Nebraska-based National Drought Mitigation Center.

"It is not happening in the middle of the summer," Fuchs told Newsday. "It is not during the hottest times of the year."

The weather service data shows June was part of an ongoing trend for 2026 so far. May's rain total for Long Island topped out at 2.68 inches, below the normal of 3.28. April, March and January all recorded rain at levels well below the monthly average. The late February storm that dumped 29.1 inches of snow in Islip over two days dragged that month's precipitation total above normal.

Several inches of rain were forecast to fall between Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening, weather service meteorologist James Connolly told Newsday. These heavy rains could bring the region toward the average 3.73 inches of rain recorded at Islip during June, according to records dating back to 1963.

A severe drought on Long Island in 2024 included the driest fall in nearly six decades and led to a rash of wildfires that summer. Firefighters battled more than 300 brush fires in Suffolk County between late August and November 2024. Newsday reported at the time. Some fires came within close range of dozens of homes, along with commercial buildings. Across the border in Nassau County, firefighters put out at least 70 wildfires that fall.

"If this drought continues to get worse," Fuchs added, "being more aware of fire danger especially as the Fourth of July is coming up is important as more people are having barbecues and fire pits."

The impact of a prolonged dry spell can also be seen by checking surface and groundwater. Less water flow means more still water, which can lead to the growth of algae.

"If there is low stream flow or groundwater stress, it can environmentally affect our freshwater wetlands and the coastal ecosystems that depend on that groundwater discharge," said Melissa Finucane, of Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.

"It also raises the risk of wildfire in the pine barren areas," Finucane said.

Mindy Germaine, a commissioner of the Port Washington Water District, said Long Islanders can help reduce the effects of a severe drought.

"The most important thing is to not water in the middle of the day because those are the hottest hours," Germaine said, "specifically from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

In the long term, Germaine suggests residents ask themselves if their "hardscapes" — built-in elements of a landscape like patios and driveways — allow water to seep effectively through to the groundwater supply.

"Are they permeable or not? Are you using rocks and pavers or blacktop?" 

Newsday's Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.