Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a drought warning for all of New Jersey. This is just one step below the highest level of drought measures.

A drought warning means that government messages reach the public to save water through actions such as taking shorter showers and only running full dishwashers and washing machines. A drought warning also gives water suppliers the opportunity to adjust flows to help areas that are slightly worse off than others.

“Now I know we were relieved when we saw a few drops of rain last weekend. The truth is, the rain wasn’t nearly enough. And unfortunately, these unusually dry conditions will not end anytime soon,” Murphy said.

New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette pointed to Manasquan Reservoir levels as a major concern in the state’s northern coastal region.

The drought has also led to a historic number of wildfires across the state. Since October 23, New Jersey has experienced six major wildfires of 250 acres or more.

There have been 537 fires since the beginning of October. That is 500 more fires than last year, or an increase of 1,300%. These fires can burn for weeks, if not months, as they burrow underground into the root systems.

In 2024, more than 11,000 hectares of forest will have been burned by forest fires, much more than the average of 4,000 hectares.

Greg McLaughlin of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service points to factors that show how serious the danger remains.

“The Forest Fire Service uses a standard drought index called the Keech-Byram Drought Index – KBDI for short. This scale measures the dryness of the fuels on the forest floor, including pine needles, branches and twigs. The scale reaches a maximum of 800. Currently we have measured 748 on the KBDI scale. These numbers have never been seen by the Forest Fire Service in our 118-year history,” McLaughlin said.

A drought emergency would mean mandatory public water restrictions ordered by the governor. LaTourette says we’re not there yet, and it all depends on the amount of rain that falls in the coming months, combined with voluntary public conservation of water during this drought warning period.