Fortunately, this latest rainfall greatly reduces the risk of any further brush fires in the Northeast and New England, according to Pydynowski. Over the course of the last several weeks, Staten Island alone experienced the outbreak of at least 15 brush fires.

About two inches were forecast to fall through Saturday. Officials say it won’t be enough to fully replenish the city’s reservoirs.

Rain is coming down across the tri-state area on Thursday as the drought continues to persist. A drought warning was declared in New York City on Monday, the first one in over 20 years. It’s the second of three levels,

The warning comes as a record-breaking dry spell and abnormally high temperatures have lowered reservoirs and fueled wildfires in the northeast.

A drought warning has been declared in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday. The warning applies to 10 New York counties and the city, which has been under a drought watch since Nov. 2.

The warning, which extends beyond the city to include 10 other counties in New York State, was announced as wildfires burned and residents continued to await meaningful rainfall.

New York City and the Northeast will finally get some measurable rain this week, but it won’t be enough to break the drought that has gripped the region for months.