Officials reported on Saturday that wildfires are battling with no less than 175 fires. Experts in meteorology say that the likelihood of reduced drought conditions, which are scorching the northeastern U.S., is low. It is expected that rains will head toward this region in the next two weeks, which could lead to precipitation in New York and southern New England. However, the rainfall will be insignificant, and prolonged drought dry conditions are not expected. Meteorologist AccuWeather Jon Ferree noted: "Although this more active weather may bring some chances of precipitation this week, it does not guarantee that each area will receive enough rainfall to maintain a credible fire risk." It is forecasted that a storm from the west will move to the northeast next Thursday, but it will not be the massive storm needed in the northeast for persistent replenishment.
In New Jersey, due to 1500 annual fires, 3000 hectares of forest is either destroyed or damaged each year. The state reported that spring reaches its peak seasonal activity, but dry leaves in the autumn months create additional warmth and lead to a larger number of fires, especially during unusual drought. In New York, where every year forest fires ravage large territories, it is reported that 47% of all forest fires occur from mid-March to mid-May. It is noted that for this year in October, the number of fires in Massachusetts increased by 1200%, competing with the usual monthly figures in the traditional fire season early in spring.
In the past week, officials in Massachusetts raised drought levels to "high" and "critical" across the entire state. Forest fires annually consume thousands of hectares of land in the northeastern states. In New York, there have already been 40 days without rainfall, breaking the previous record of 26 days recorded in spring 1949. Similarly, Philadelphia went no less than 40 days without precipitation, breaking the record of 29 days set in 1874. New Jersey and Delaware noted October 2024 as the driest month in their history this year, according to the National Weather Service.
Forest fires engulfing thousands of hectares of land in northeastern states every year, although they are more widespread in spring. At the beginning of this week, American northeastern states began "battling" with forest fires, since conditions remained favorable for ignitions and rapid spreads of flames, despite some areas receiving the first showers in more than a month. In New Jersey, firefighting crews responded to fires in 'Jenkins Creek' at the border of New Jersey and New York, which burned thousands of hectares. On the weekend, a worker from the gardening department in New York died when a tree fell on him during extinguishing fires in the Sterling forest around Orange.
Fires were only part of many ignitions over the weekend in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut due to unprecedented dry conditions across the region, which only slightly improved after some light rains last Monday.