The ongoing drought is putting pressure on some local water systems, and government officials are urging people to conserve water where they can. Meanwhile, some people are reporting that their residential wells are drying up. Fires are also raging in the region.

It’s an unusual turn of events in November in New Hampshire, when drought conditions are relatively uncommon. And experts say the little rain that fell this week isn’t enough to solve the problem.

Ted Diers of the state Department of Environmental Services said water levels typically rise when plants close for the winter. But without much rain they go down. The soil is dry, the water level in the lakes is low and some small streams have dried up.

“Almost the entire state, every river in the state, is in the lowest 5% of observed levels for this day in history,” Diers said Thursday. Most of those historical observations go back between 50 and 100 years.

Nine of the state’s 10 counties are experiencing moderate drought, with severe and extreme conditions in the southern part of the state.

Rain this week will provide some respite, easing the most extreme conditions for surface waters — a kind of “ecological shot in the arm” for lakes and rivers, Diers said. But it won’t have much impact on groundwater, the source of much of the state’s drinking water.

This is especially a concern now that the ground is starting to freeze. If that happens, the surface water cannot replenish the groundwater until it thaws.

To replenish the aquifers before the ground freezes, the state would need to receive about two inches of precipitation every week for four to five weeks, Diers said. But don’t expect everything to go back to normal.

“The outlook for the next three to four weeks is again warmer than normal and normal precipitation,” he said. “That’s not really going to allow us to necessarily gain ground in the situation we’re in now.”

A snowy winter can help store water for spring.

Without more interventions to reduce the impacts of climate change, these types of drought conditions could become increasingly common. Although New Hampshire will become wetter overall as the climate warms, droughts are also likely to increase in the short term, according to the state’s 2021 Climate Assessment.

Impacts on water supplies, skiing and more

The lack of rain has caused problems for some public water suppliers, who have started having water delivered in trucks or trying to find other solutions. Diers said people should conserve water where they can, and look out for notices from their supplier with more instructions.

Officials have also received several calls from people with dry wells, especially those with dug wells that are shallower and don’t reach the bottom.

Fire danger is also high in the southern part of the state and more forest fires have been reported than usual for this time of year.

Steve Sherman, head of the New Hampshire Forest Service, said the state usually burns about four acres of land in wildfires during the fall. This year, 65 hectares have been burned.

“The rain we have received over the last two days has really reduced the fire danger. However, with the drought we got here, we will need more rain or snow events to really remedy the situation for the next two years. long term,” he said.

Officials are still watching over a fire in Brentwood that was burning deep into the ground and may not be extinguished by rainfall.

“As we move through the fall, unless we see a lot more rain, people should really hold off on burning brush or anything like that until snow falls,” he said.

Ski resorts, which use large amounts of water to make snow, also hope the drought will ease soon.

Jessyca Keeler, president of Ski New Hampshire, says most ski hills are doing just fine with the water they have now. But they’re hoping for more rain before December to help the snowmaking efforts.

Keeler said ski areas have made significant investments in snowmaking in recent years as climate change has made New Hampshire winters warmer and less snowy. Many use newer, more efficient equipment that can make snow in less time at higher temperatures.

“Those are really, really important to our vitality, to our existence,” Keeler said. “These snow cannons allow ski areas to take advantage of truly shorter snowmaking opportunities.”