Drought Information Statement for Philadelphia/Mt. Holly Hydrologic Service Area Valid March 27, 2026 Issued By: National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mt. Holly Contact Information: wfophi.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated May 1,2026 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/phi/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. The state of New Jersey has issued a Drought Warning for the entire state. There are no state declarations in place for Delaware. The state of Pennsylvania has issued either a Drought Watch or Drought Warning for our southeast Pennsylvania Counties. The state of Maryland has issued a Drought Warning for our Maryland Eastern Shore counties. U.S. Drought Monitor D4 (Exceptional Drought): No Exceptional Drought exists across the Hydrologic Service Area (HSA). D3 (Extreme Drought): No Extreme Drought exists across the HSA. D2 (Severe Drought): Severe Drought exists across portions of northern New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley. D1 (Moderate Drought): Moderate Drought exists across portions of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, but not our Maryland Eastern Shore counties. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Abnormally Dry conditions exist across portions of the fours states we serve. Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change… Drought Worsened: No degradation was observed. No Change: More areas remained the same versus showing degradation or improvement. Drought Improved: Improvement was observed across portions of the four states we serve. Precipitation A large amount of the HSA has seen above normal precipitation the last 30 days. Some of our southern counties have seen below normal conditions. Last 30 Days Temperature When averaged (ending 3/22), much of the forecast area experienced above normal temperatures the last 7 days. Over the last 30 days, much of the forecast area experienced above normal temperatures as well. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts ● Seven-day average streamflow conditions, ending 3/26, were mainly below normal. Agricultural Impacts ● Crop moisture was running normal to above normal across the forecast area. ● See slide 8 for more details. Other Impacts ● Per state DEPs, reservoir pools across the HSA were mainly below normal to normal. ● Per the Delaware River Basin Commission, and as of March 23rd, the salt front in the Delaware River Estuary was estimated at river mile marker 63.3. The normal location for this time of year is river mile marker 70. This indicates the salt line is further downstream compared to normal. Mitigation Actions ● Per the state of New Jersey, a Drought Warning has been issued for the entire state. ● Per the state of Maryland, a Drought Warning has been issued for our Maryland Eastern Shore counties. ● Per the state of Delaware, there are no state declarations in place. ● Per the state of Pennsylvania, either a Drought Watch or Drought Warning have been issued for our Southeast Pennsylvania Counties. Keep in mind, the National Weather Service does not declare Drought Watches or Warnings. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Seven-day average streamflow conditions, ending 3/26, were mainly below normal. Agricultural Impacts Crop moisture was running normal to above normal across the forecast area. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast A cold front passes through much of the region this morning, then becomes nearly stationary over the Delmarva Peninsula into this evening until moving offshore tonight. High pressure builds in from the west on Saturday before passing overheard Saturday night and departing on Sunday. A series of disturbances will impact the region next week as Bermuda high pressure sets up over the western Atlantic. The 8 to 14 day outlook calls for above normal temperatures and precipitation. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage. Long-Range signals suggest April’s average monthly precipitation will be either normal or above normal. Long-Range signals suggest April’s average monthly temperatures have a greater chance of either being normal or above normal versus below normal.