According to federal drought monitor data, Bucks County is experiencing one of the worst droughts in a generation, with this fall marking the driest months since 2002, writes Jess Rohan for the Bucks County Courier Times.

October was the driest month in nearly 130 years of recorded Bucks County history, with just 0.01 inches of rainfall, according to NOAA data.

Last week, over a third of Bucks County was rated in ‘extreme drought’ by the drought monitor, up from the ‘severe drought’ rating still in effect for the rest of the county.

The last significant dry spell occurred in 2017, lasting six months. It placed over half of the county in “severe drought” for two months but never escalated to extreme drought.

The inch of rain that fell in the region last week knocked Lower Bucks County out of extreme drought territory but did not do much to end the overall drought.

“This was first big rain event we’ve had since September, or even August in some places,” said Alex Staarmann, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “We’re in such a deficit now it’s going to take several of these widespread moderate precipitation events to put a dent in the drought.”

Read more about the worst droughts Bucks County has experienced in a generation in the Bucks County Courier Times.

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