Large swaths of the tri-state are now experiencing extreme drought, federal officials announced Thursday.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday upgraded the drought status for parts of Ulster, Sullivan and Dutchess County in New York along with Fairfield County in Connecticut. Most of the rest of the region, including New York City, Long Island and northern New Jersey, are under severe drought conditions.
Conditions aren't expected to get much better, either. Dry conditions could persist through the winter for large parts of the northeast. The only spot seeing some relief is upstate New York.
The drought is the worst in more than a decade. It has been devastating to farmers and resulted in water restrictions in many places. It has dried up drinking wells and caused lake levels to drop in New Jersey and New York.
Drought also is expected to persist in much of the Southeast, the Southwest as well as parts of the Midwest and California.
