New Jersey and its surrounding tri-state area is in the midst of a month-long drought. The drought has been accompanied by an abnormally warm October and has many worried about the prospect of wildfires.
This year marks New Jersey’s driest October on record, experiencing only trace amounts of rainfall since our last shower on Sept. 29. With Ramapo surrounded by dense forests and just down the road from Ramapo Valley Reservation, there is cause to be concerned.
From 1991 to 2020, the average temperature for October in Newark has been 66 degrees and this October has been warmer than average.
There have been at least 300 wildfires, which have burned more than 500 acres of land in New Jersey since Oct. 1.
Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration issued a drought watch on Oct. 17, citing that the state has had below-average rainfall levels for the past few months, not just this October.
The Murphy Administration also implemented a mandatory statewide Stage 3 fire restriction. This prohibits all fires unless they are contained, elevated and using propane, natural gas or electricity. Under this restriction, no wood or charcoal fires are permitted and neither is the use of gas torches. This ban is in place on all public lands through New Jersey, including the Ramapo Reservation.
According to NJ.com, “the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said as of Sept. 15, it has responded to 334 wildfires that have burned across 650 acres. As of Monday Oct. 28, 242 remain active and have not been declared extinguished.”
“New Jersey has experienced below-average precipitation during four of the last five months, while at the same time temperatures have remained above average over the same period,” said the press release. “Rainfall across New Jersey has been 2 inches to 7 inches below normal over the past 90 days [as of Oct. 17].”
The last drought watch in New Jersey was in August 2022 and was lifted that December. Prior to that, the last statewide drought emergency with mandatory water restrictions started in March 2002 and was lifted in January 2003.
The press release urged people living in New Jersey to minimize water use. For more information about the status of New Jersey’s water supplies, visit dep.nj.gov/drought.
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Jessica Hammer, Ramapo News
