Northeast to see significant rain amid NYC drought warning and NJ wildfires

Significant rain is forecast to arrive in the Northeast towards the end of the workweek amid what, for many cities in the area, has been the driest fall on record.

A major storm system will develop over the Great Lakes starting Wednesday and track east that night, with rain expected over the Interstate 95 corridor sometime Thursday morning.

This system is expected to bring downpours that will be spread out over several days.

Between 1 and 2 inches of total rain are likely in some spots.

Some cities in the Northeast have not seen this amount of rain for three months.

There is also a potential for localized snow accumulation in western Pennsylvania and Upstate New York.

This is part of the same system that is soaking the central U.S.

Rain to reduce Northeast wildfire threat

Firefighters from New Jersey to Massachusetts have been battling a rash of wildfires for much of the last two months.

A wildfire ignited Monday night in the town of Hainesport in southern New Jersey.

The state forest fire service reported that at least 20 buildings were threatened.

No word on any injuries. It’s being designated The Big Rusty Fire and has reached 40 acres.

Fire officials said it was 20% contained as of Tuesday morning.

Firefighters are still dealing with the remainder of the deadly Jennings Creek Fire which has burned over 5,000 acres across the New Jersey-New York border and blew smoke into New York City during two weekends.

New York City under Drought Warning; New Jersey in drought

This has been the driest fall on record for many towns and cities across the region, including Philadelphia and Hartford, CT.

New York City hasn’t received a quarter-inch of rain in a day since Sept. 29, while the streak stretches back to Sept. 7 for Philadelphia.

The dry weather prompted New York City Mayor Eric Adams to elevate the city’s Drought Watch to a Drought Warning on Monday.

He called on New Yorkers to conserve water. 

A similar request is in place in New Jersey, where the entire state is in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

FOX Weather Meteorologist Michael Estime noted that this is the first time in 22 years that southern New Jersey was in the “Extreme” drought stage.

Video taken by FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Torres showed the extended shoreline of the Orange Reservoir. Similar scenes are visible at reservoirs across the state.

Changing pattern could mean more rain for the Northeast

According to the FOX Forecast Center, this change in weather pattern could finally kick off a stretch of active, stormy weather which would potentially be able to provide more drought relief.