Most of western Massachusetts is back to normal but dry conditions could return

We've had some very nice fall weather this week, but earlier this month we did get some beneficial rain. In 22 News, Storm Team Meteorologist Adam Strumko is working for you with a look at how that has affected the drought conditions we were experiencing. Well, Ciara and Claire, the good news is that most of western Massachusetts is back to normal right now. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor that just came out shows that almost all of western Massachusetts is now back to normal, with just a very small area of abnormally dry conditions showing up in Franklin County. The Massachusetts drought status map has all of Western Massachusetts in the level zero or normal category with mild and even significant drought conditions still showing up in eastern parts of the state. Rain that we picked up during the summer and earlier this month helped us here in Western Massachusetts. We did see about a little over an inch or in some close to two inches of rain you know earlier in the month when we had that nor'easter. But there are some indications that drier than normal conditions could be returning and that could pose some problems later this fall. You get a lot of the leaves drying up and falling off the trees and when they're all over the ground they're all dried up the grass is dying out the trees are you know just becoming bare so and also this time of year is when we actually get a little breezy as we go through the fall and into the early winter so if we don't get a lot of rain anytime soon and the ground and everything is so dry you do have the higher risk of brush fires. We were fortunate that the rain we did get this summer and fall did help make for a very nice fall foliage season here in Western Massachusetts.