The Northeastern United States is sweltering under one of the worst droughts in decades, and relief is nowhere in sight. Federal weather forecasters warn the La Nina weather pattern that has sent floods to the Northwest and Southwest while parching the East may last through the winter, with rain coming to drought stricken areas only as part of an unusually violent hurricane season. The last time the Northeast had a drought this severe and widespread was in 1988.
Some states are harder hit than others.
In Northern Virginia, the weather has not been this dry since the 1930s. In Maryland yesterday, where the drought is the worst in 30 years, Governor Parris Glendening declared the state s first ever statewide drought emergency. This drought is a serious problem. With water supplies severely stressed across the state, and with forecasters predicting minimal relief, it is vital that we take a coordinated, comprehensive approach to the drought on a statewide basis. Residents in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, the four hardest hit states, are being asked to voluntarily conserve water.