What you need to know – NBC10 Philadelphia

It has been weeks since there has been any measurable rainfall in the Philadelphia region. The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team is currently monitoring the drought across the area.

Currently, parts of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley and Berks County are experiencing moderate drought, while all of Philadelphia and surrounding counties fall into the same category.

Philadelphia could break a record for consecutive days without rain, which currently stands at 29 days.

US Drought Monitor

Delaware is experiencing moderate drought, with all three counties experiencing severe droughts.

US Drought Monitor

Meanwhile, conditions in South Jersey appear to be moderate, with five counties falling into the severe category, much of it in Burlington County.

On Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued a statewide drought warning urging homeowners and businesses to conserve water.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has implemented statewide fire restrictions to prevent wildfires during the ongoing drought.

US Drought Monitor

Effects of local drought

Local farmers are feeling the effects of the drought.

The owners of Browning Hess Farm, a family business that has been successful for about 100 years, say this is the worst drought they have experienced in several decades.

“Normally you'd say you'd pick, I don't know, 10 baskets of peppers – well, they're so dry and shriveled and everything, now that you're lucky enough to pick three,” Chris Milligan, works for the Browning Hess Farm said.

For this time of year, the farm in Moorestown, New Jersey would be growing crops such as peppers and tomatoes, but since drought conditions most crops have not survived.

Even her blooming, picked flower field has turned brown and dry.

“As farmers, we have to stay optimistic, so I remain optimistic that things will change,” said Debbie Browning Hess, owner of the farm.

Climate Central's Kaitlyn Trudeau says we could expect these conditions to persist for the next three to four weeks.

“If you look at it in the long term, we're not only seeing more drought conditions, but we're also seeing drought conditions getting worse,” Trudeau said.

She said the main culprit of these droughts is human-caused climate change and suggests we can protect our region.

“I mean things like being very careful when going out, things like camping, making sure we put out campfires, driving big equipment, making sure things don't drag or spark, throwing cigarettes out the window.” “That kind of thing Things… it only takes a spark to start a fire,” Trudeau said.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection suggests that to conserve water during a drought, people should pay attention to their water consumption and try to reduce it by 65%, for example by taking just five minutes of showers and putting off intensive gardening.