A new drought map for New Jersey shows the drought is getting worse in the state.
According to the US Drought-Monitor, about half of New Jersey is now under what's labeled as an "extreme drought condition", which is mostly the southern half of the state. It's about double the area compared to two weeks ago. The northern half of the state is classified as under a severe drought. The new map was released just prior to this recent rainfall event. State officials say it will take months of normal or above normal rain to climb out of the drought situation. State officials recently declared a drought emergency.