Drought Has Returned To Massachusetts

The downside of our summer days having clear skies and a relatively hot beginning to fall? The warmth and dryness have ushered in drought for the first time since a months-long major one left the state in May.

Nearly a third of Massachusetts is experiencing a "moderate drought," the U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday. That 31.78 percent of the state includes just about all of Middlesex, Norfolk, and Hampden counties, the southern half of Worcester County, and the northern parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties.

A "moderate drought" is the lowest drought classification the Monitor has.

Another 58.35 percent of the Bay State is classified by the Monitor as "abnormally dry," which could turn into drought.

If your town is shaded brown in the Monitor graphic below, it's a moderate drought for you. Yellow means abnormally dry.

The only parts of the state sufficiently hydrated, according to the Monitor, are the Cape & Islands, the very southwest corner of the state, and a small pocket of Middlesex County up against the New Hampshire border.

There likely isn't much to worry about right now, but in case you are interested in learning how the MWRA says to save water at home, click here. You can learn how to save water in garden usage here.

Last year's drought at one point saw more than half the state under the Monitor's "extreme drought" classification. Water restrictions were prevalent, as were worries among farmers.

The following Department of Conservation and Recreation map from last fall shows how serious it got.

Some moisture is possible the middle of next week. Here is the weeklong forecast:

Friday October 20

Partly cloudy in the morning. High 67, low 52.
Chance of precipitation: 6%. Wind 7 mph from the WNW

Saturday October 21

Partly cloudy overnight. High 74, low 47.
Chance of precipitation: 10%. Wind 4 mph from the WSW

Sunday October 22

Partly cloudy until evening. High 74, low 52.
Chance of precipitation: 8%. Wind 6 mph from the SW

Monday October 23

Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High 74, low 57.
Chance of precipitation: 3%. Wind 8 mph from the SSW

Tuesday October 24

Light rain in the afternoon and windy starting in the evening. High 71, low 61.
Chance of precipitation: 62%. Wind 11 mph from the S

Wednesday October 25

Mostly cloudy starting in the evening. High 69, low 59.
Chance of precipitation: 46%. Wind 6 mph from the SW

Thursday October 26

Rain overnight. High 59, low 52.
Chance of precipitation: 58%. Wind 6 mph from the NW

In this July 15, 2016, file photo, tourists walk past parched, brown grass on the Boston Common. Much of the Northeast was in the grips of a drought. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)