October was one of the driest months in history

The month of October proved to be one of the driest months in American history with various states reporting no rain for 31 days. 

Cities including New York, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco did not receive measurable precipitation for 31 days, according to U.S. News and World Report. 

The abnormality has been accompanied by flash drought in surrounding regions including New Jersey. 

For the Lower 48 states, there has not been this much drought shown on the U.S. Drought Monitor since December 2022.

“Areas of the Southeast that were impacted by significant precipitation associated with landfalling hurricanes have dried out rapidly, with some locations recording zero precipitation since the hurricanes,” forecasters wrote on the website, adding that precipitation could help ease conditions next week. 

“Some precipitation development at the end of the current period could help ease conditions into the next week, but that will be determined on the next map.”

The dry season has also spurred more fires than usual, with Connecticut, Massachusetts and Michigan all reporting wildfires. The National Interagency Fire Center said 21 large wildfires are active nationally, and current fires have burned 883,318 acres.