Drought Information

The following changes were made after the Commonwealth Drought Task Force met on April 27, 2026:

• Counties returned to Normal status: Allegheny, Bradford, Cambria, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Somerset, Union, Venango, Washington
• Counties with drought status improved from Warning to Watch: Berks, Lancaster, and Lehigh

Conditions have improved across western Pennsylvania. However, there is still significant recovery needed in many areas of Pennsylvania, and why Watch and Warning Declarations continue in many counties.

Other areas of the Commonwealth may also be experiencing localized drought issues. Residents should always follow information they receive from their local water supplier. Varying localized conditions may lead water suppliers or municipalities to ask residents to continue conservation measures. Residents are encouraged to voluntarily conserve nonessential water use.

See current conservation measures applied by public water suppliers below.

20 counties currently in Drought Watch: Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Carbon, Dauphin, Delaware, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, and York

5 counties currently in Drought Warning: Adams, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, and Fulton

42 counties currently in Normal Status: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming

The Commonwealth Drought Coordinator manages drought-related activities and monitors drought conditions statewide. Drought watch and warning are informational declarations issued by the Coordinator with input from the Drought Task Force. Drought emergency declarations, which have mandatory conservation requirements, follow a similar process but require final approval by the Governor.

Drought declarations are not based on a single factor. DEP considers four key indicators: stream flow, groundwater levels, precipitation, and soil moisture. Each has an established normal range. Declarations are made after assessing how far conditions have deviated from normal over the past 3 to 12 months. More information on how different indicators are used can be found on the Drought Monitoring Tools and Links page.

One of the most important sources of ground truth are public water suppliers who have the best understanding of their sources. DEP frequently reaches out to suppliers to report on dry conditions in their respective service areas.

Contact

Jason Minnich
Commonwealth Drought Coordinator
jaminnich@pa.gov

Questions from media:
Email ra-epnews@pa.gov

Questions from all others:
Email: droughtinfo@pa.gov
Phone: 717-772-4048

Water Conservation Tips for Social Media

Right click the image to save and share.