92 percent of state under some level of drought

Despite a rainy Wednesday, drought conditions in Massachusetts are getting worse. As of Thursday morning, the U.S. Drought Monitor officially escalated the drought classification for an area northwest of Boston from "severe" to "extreme." That area includes much of Middlesex County and a portion of Essex County.Areas classified as being under extreme drought are experiencing, or will likely experience, major crop and pasture failures and widespread water shortages or restrictions.Every part of the state except Nantucket is considered to be at least "abnormally dry."Four percent of the state is included in the "extreme drought" classification, while 62 percent is rated at "severe."In the Ipswich River, where the water should be about waist-deep, there were only shallow pools of water on Thursday.The river supplies water to 14 North Shore communities. "About 30 million gallons will be pmped out of the Ipswich watershed, even today, for human use. That's really too much water coming out -- when coupled with the drought -- to sustain the water's flow," said Wayne Castonguay, of the Ipswich Watershed Association.Castonguay said it is the third-worst drought condition on record, but it could go down as the worst if this continues for a few more weeks. Thousands of fish, trapped in small pools left in Martin's Brook on the North Reading/Wilmington town line -- a tributary that feeds the Ipswich River -- died earlier this week as the pools dwindled and oxygen levels dropped.Get the WCVB News App

Despite a rainy Wednesday, drought conditions in Massachusetts are getting worse.

As of Thursday morning, the U.S. Drought Monitor officially escalated the drought classification for an area northwest of Boston from "severe" to "extreme." That area includes much of Middlesex County and a portion of Essex County.

Areas classified as being under extreme drought are experiencing, or will likely experience, major crop and pasture failures and widespread water shortages or restrictions.

Every part of the state except Nantucket is considered to be at least "abnormally dry."

Four percent of the state is included in the "extreme drought" classification, while 62 percent is rated at "severe."

In the Ipswich River, where the water should be about waist-deep, there were only shallow pools of water on Thursday.



The river supplies water to 14 North Shore communities.

"About 30 million gallons will be pmped out of the Ipswich watershed, even today, for human use. That's really too much water coming out -- when coupled with the drought -- to sustain the water's flow," said Wayne Castonguay, of the Ipswich Watershed Association.

Castonguay said it is the third-worst drought condition on record, but it could go down as the worst if this continues for a few more weeks.





Thousands of fish, trapped in small pools left in Martin's Brook on the North Reading/Wilmington town line -- a tributary that feeds the Ipswich River -- died earlier this week as the pools dwindled and oxygen levels dropped.