All drought regions will return to normal conditions, with the exception of the Coastal South region, which is being moved to drought watch status as conditions improve. The Coastal South Region includes all of Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties; eastern Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties; southeastern Burlington County; and southern Ocean County.
For a map of drought regions, visit NJDEP| Drought Information | Drought Regions in New Jersey.
“It is a great relief to see that more typical rainfall patterns have returned to the state,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. 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. All of us continue to stress that, even though conditions have improved, water conservation is always important, especially as drought conditions become more persistent as a result of climate change.”
"Record breaking dry fall and near record breaking dry winter conditions led to prolonged water supply deficits," said State Climatologist David Robinson. “Precipitation approached normal totals in early spring, followed by New Jersey’s fifth wettest May dating back to 1895. Just in time for summer, the recent wet period returned water supplies to near normal conditions.”
The drought period, dating back to last summer, included the driest fall on record for New Jersey and was marked by the third driest September on record (September 2025), the driest month on record (October 2024) and the third driest January on record (January 2025). For more information, see chart at end of this news release.
Rainfall Improvements
The state declared a drought warning in November 2024, following a drought watch that was issued the previous month.
Across the state, precipitation patterns over the last 90 days, along with reservoir storage, have all returned to normal. Over this period, precipitation has ranged from approximately 12 inches to 15 inches, with most counties receiving a surplus of 1 inch to 3 inches above normal. In northern New Jersey, streamflow and groundwater have also recovered to more typical conditions.
However, the DEP has observed and anticipates slower recovery for the Coastal South region because of the effects of sharp rainfall deficits of 7 inches to 10 inches that occurred last year. Because of this and the very porous nature of the Coastal South region’s aquifers that require large volumes of precipitation for recharge, the DEP determined that it would be prudent to retain this region in watch status, which encourages residents and businesses to continue conserving water.
Droughts and Climate Change
As outlined in the recently adopted 2024 New Jersey Statewide Water Supply Plan, New Jersey is experiencing the impacts of climate change on water supply. Recent years have shown a trend of increasingly intense rainfall events followed by periods of little or no rain. With the increased uncertainty posed by these weather patterns, it can become challenging for water supply managers to ensure the availability of water resources during dry periods.
The DEP continues to closely monitor drought indicators – which include precipitation, stream flows, reservoir levels, ground water levels, and water demand – and will continue to inform the public, local governments, and water systems of future actions to mitigate the risk of more severe conditions. Municipalities or water utilities may require additional restrictions depending upon local water supply conditions. Updated information about the status of New Jersey’s water supplies, visit dep.nj.gov/drought.
Drought Resources
For a list of Frequently Asked Questions about droughts, visit https://dep.nj.gov/drought/faq/.
For more water conservation tips, visit https://dep.nj.gov/conserve-water/.
The DEP has also prepared a Conserve Water Toolkit, which provides infographics, a flyer, video, and social media resources that can be downloaded, and used by organizations and government agencies to disseminate information about drought conditions and water conservation.
