drought

After recent heavy rainfalls, the state is no longer in a drought.

While drought conditions are beginning to improve, the record dry summer left a lasting impact across parts of our state. One industry that will feel the effects for years to come are Christmas tree farms. “The drought was most intense in this part of Southington since 1964,” explained Michael Karabin of Karabin Farms in Southington. “So with that in mind…

The drought from this year made it hard for Christmas trees to grow and will impact the industry for years to come.

While rain has helped ease the problems a bit, most of Connecticut is still experiencing drought conditions.

While the recent rain did help with the drought conditions across parts of the state, we still have a long way to go. Where we previously had extreme drought conditions that are still present just to our southeast through Rhode Island and Massachusetts, we now have a severe drought. So not much improvement, but a trend in the right direction….

It’s not that apples didn’t grow because of the drought, in fact many apples thrived in the dry conditions with less disease and infection – just not the kind needed for making apple cider. “I’m not sorting out as many apples that would go into cider,” explained Sue Zygmont of Hayward Farm.  “It’s just not there.” “Cider apples are...

Some apple crops have thrived in the drier weather this year, but unfortunately, that is not true for the apples used for making apple cider.

The ongoing drought has had a significant impact on much of the state, including our local pumpkins. “The dryness it definitely affected the size a lot of the varieties that are supposed to be big are a lot smaller,” said pumpkin farmer Jacob Cohen. “It affected the pollination because the bees weren’t as active when it’s hot. And we...

The drought is having an effect on this year’s pumpkin crop.

Help is on the way for farmers in the state struggling with the devastating drought that’s affected everything from their crops to their wells. Now, they hope that a just-approved federal disaster designation could make a difference. All eight counties in Connecticut have received disaster designations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a result of ongoing drought conditions...

All eight counties in Connecticut have received disaster designations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a result of ongoing drought conditions in the state.

The summer of 2020 was been filled with sunny days. With that has come consequences as many Connecticut communities are dealing with drought conditions. In New Britain Wednesday there was sporadic light rain, but officials want much more than just a passing shower. “Unfortunately, it just hasn’t rained as much as we had hoped for,” said New Britain Mayor Erin…

Parts of Connecticut are under an extreme drought. We went to New Britain to see how the city is reacting.

Drought conditions are worsening in some parts of the state as dry weather continues. The Interagency Drought Workgroup elevated drought conditions to stage three in four counties across the state. Residents in Hartford, Tolland, Windham and New London counties are now being asked to limit water use to essential needs, stop watering lawns, scale down on outdoor irrigation and make…

Drought conditions are putting a strain on some communities, especially for those who rely on wells.

Connecticut officials say drought conditions have worsened in five of the state’s eight counties. The Connecticut Interagency Drought Workgroup on Monday raised the drought status for Hartford, New London, Tolland, and Windham counties to Stage 3 out on its five-stage scale, indicating they are in a moderate drought. Among other things, residents in Stage 3 drought areas are being asked…

The drought in Connecticut is impacting the farm industry, particularly apple orchards, in an unexpected way.

Connecticut is going through a drought impacting millions of residents, one of whom said the drought has caused a major headache and is praying for a change. “Personally for us here in Somers, this drought has affected us worse this year than in the past 10 years,” says Jacob Lipton, general manager of Pleasant View Farms. Lipton said this year,…

Dugan Tillman-Brown has experienced dry spells on his farm in North Stonington. This is the worst. “Normally this is green. We haven’t had any rain, really to speak of, since late May,” Tillman-Brown said, standing in front of a patch of brown grass. “These grasses are not adapted to this long duration drought.” The effects of a hot and...

Five Connecticut counties have been asked to cut their water usage as concerns grow over the drought.