Heavy rainfall soaked the Hudson Valley on Monday through Wednesday, delivering several inches of much-needed precipitation. The ongoing drought, declared on July 16, 2022, has been so intense that three days of rain still did not put a dent in it.
According to data released today by the U.S. Drought Monitor, Orange County is split horizontally down the middle in drought stages. Southern Orange County remains in a severe drought while northern Orange County is in a moderate drought.
Vail’s Gate Tower, a calibrated weather tower operated by The Newburgh News, recorded 2.73″ of rain from the three-day storm system. This amount of rain is on the high end for a storm and would ordinarily cause flooding under normal conditions.
Prior to the rain, most local creeks ran completely dry. This week’s rain caused the creeks to start running again, but they are already drying up.
The reservoir levels have been steadily dropping every week since the drought began. The rain barely added any new water.
The seven major reservoirs in the area are currently at 72.1% capacity. Before the rain storm, the reservoirs were actually higher with a 72.3% capacity.
The Schoharie Reservoir slightly rose. As of today, the capacity is 31.5% capacity. Before the rain, it was down to 27.9%.
The Cannonsville Reservoir was at 48.9% before the rain. Despite the rain, it has continued dropping. As of today, it is down to 46.4%.
The Rondout Reservoir has risen since the rain. It was at 96% last week and is now at 98.1%.
Temperatures will remain in the 80s for the next week ahead. The only chance of rain comes Tuesday and Wednesday with a 50% chance of showers.
The 7-day weather forecast, live radar, current weather alerts, and more can be viewed at the Vail’s Gate Tower.
