After many weeks of frequent rain and occasional thunderstorms, New Jersey has officially ended the statewide drought warning that had been in place since November 2024.
However, the state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a drought watch for eight counties in South Jersey, where rainfall totals and stream flows haven’t been as high as they’ve been in other regions of the state.
“With recent improvements to water supplies, the department lifted the statewide drought warning this week,” the DEP announced Wednesday on its website.
“Due to persistent deficits in groundwater and stream flow, the department is moving the Coastal South drought region to a drought watch,” the agency added. “Everyone across the state is encouraged to continue to follow water conservation practices, to help manage supplies should dry conditions re-emerge this summer.”
During the past week, about a half inch to nearly 4 inches of rain fell across the Garden State, the DEP noted.
That followed an extremely wet month of May, when an average of 7.27 inches of rain drenched New Jersey, according to data from Rutgers University. It turned out to be the state’s fifth wettest May in 130 years, which helped ease the long-term drought conditions that had plagued the region for more than six months.
Last month turned out to be the fifth wettest May on record in New Jersey, with stats going all the way back to 1895.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
During the spring and summer seasons, water usage typically spikes as more homeowners water their lawns and plants, wash their cars and driveways, or fill swimming pools. Farmers also use more water for their crops.
As a result, state officials say it’s important for homeowners and businesses to conserve as much water as possible.
The areas under a drought watch — which is not as urgent as a drought warning — are all of Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties, eastern sections of Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties, the southeastern region of Burlington County and the southern region of Ocean County.
New Jersey’s long drought period included the state’s driest fall season on record, the third driest September on record (September 2024), the driest month on record (October 2024) and the third driest January on record (January 2025), according to data from New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson at Rutgers University.
“It is a great relief to see that more typical rainfall patterns have returned to the state,” DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said. “I appreciate the cooperation we have had from the public and the help from all of our stakeholders — from water utilities to local governments and environmental advocates – who worked hard to spread the message of conservation over the past nine months."
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.