HARTFORD, Conn. — Tuesday’s steady, soaking rain may have caused trouble on the road, but it was a welcome relief when it comes to mitigating the state’s drought conditions. But, water companies are still encouraging or enforcing drought mitigation efforts for the time being.
The state needed about 12 inches of rain to put the drought behind us. Some spots in Connecticut got about eight.
“Ideally we would have liked to have this over a period of time and not necessarily within a 24/48 hour period,” said FOX61 Meteorologist Rachel Piscitelli.
So much rain over such a short amount of time can lead to runoff instead of soil penetration. But it did put a lid on the brush fire danger.
“It would almost crackle and snap when you walked on it,” said State Fire Marshal William Abbott, who described the brush conditions for much of the year.
The dry summer certainly kept fire officials busy.
“People still need to have a heightened awareness…This will only last so long,” Abbott continued.
When it comes to the state's water supply, reservoirs are hovering at about 79% capacity on average. But some individual reservoirs at Aquarion Water Company are just over half full. They aren’t lifting any usage restrictions just yet.
“Absolutely not. We have twice per week watering in over a dozen of our communities,” said Aquarion Director of Community Relations George Logan.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan District (MDC) is faring better. They say they are at about 87% full.
Folks can help conserve by taking a brief shower instead of a bath, only washing dishes and clothes on a full load, and fixing small drips and leaks from faucets.
The state’s interagency drought working group will meet Thursday to analyze new data and reassess and reclassify the state’s drought conditions. Right now, all of Connecticut is experiencing a severe drought with parts of New London County under extreme conditions.
Some residents on Tuesday also experienced power outages. Utility companies told FOX61 the drought has caused trees to droop their limbs which can snap during a soaking rain and come down on power lines. They are working with arborists to identify where they can trim and remove trees.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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