The statewide drought in Massachusetts is getting worse, according to new data out that shows more of southern New England is now experiencing "severe" drought conditions.
In fact, the severe drought area has expanded to almost half the state at this point, which is almost double that of just last week. This puts us in the top 10 driest seasons for the North Shore and South Shore, as well as for Cape Cod and Boston.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, which was released Thursday, shows the majority of the Commonwealth in either moderate to severe drought.
Besides making your lawn dry, these dry conditions can spark a whole host of issues. Crops are being impacted, as well as air and water quality. The lack of rain is also causing trees to become brittle, while fire dangers increase.
Many towns are also implementing water restrictions. One of those towns is Pembroke, where water levels were so low earlier this week that it was impacting water pressure in fire hydrants and creating a dangerous situation. The town ended up issuing an emergency water ban asking residents to immediately stop using unnecessary water like washing their cars, watering their lawns or filling swimming pools.
Right now, 124 towns have mandatory restrictions in place limiting the usage of water on automatic sprinklers and irrigation systems. In severe cases, those towns can impose a complete ban on outdoor watering just like in Pembroke.
