Drought conditions are getting worse in Western and Central New York.
The federal government’s U.S. Drought Monitor puts most of the western half of the state in at least “moderate” drought. And for the first time, all or parts of five counties west of Rochester are considered in severe drought. The Eastern Great Lakes area got less than an inch of rain last week and temperatures were two-to-five degrees above normal.
The west side of Monroe County is in moderate drought; the eastern side is considered “severely dry.” Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming Counties are split between moderate and severe drought. All of Niagara County and nearly all of Erie County and the Buffalo area are in severe drought.
