Epi Week #39 - 2016 General Statements

Very cool nights kept collections down for this past week. Many parts of the state saw precipitation, but it is likely too late in the season for this to have any impact. Epi Week 40 will be the final week for mosquito testing for 2016, and as you will note in the last section of this report, several districts/projects have already ended trapping for the season.

Weather

Once again, drought conditions did not change over the past week, leaving more than 50% of the state in Extreme Drought (red), and nearly the entire state at a minimum of Moderate Drought (peach). At this point, for long-term drought relief, we would need several days of a slow steady soaking rain. Hurricane Matthew is now predicted to have minimal if any impact on New England; MDAR’s weather expert notes that it is possible but unlikely that the storm will swing up the coast at the end of Epi Week 41. For now, expect the abnormally warm daytime temperatures to end during Columbus Day weekend, with a possibility of them returning at the end of Epi Week 41.

For Epi Week 39, the southeast part of the state, including the islands, received significant rain, with parts of the Cape and Bristol County maxing out at over 3 inches and Nantucket topping 4 inches of precipitation. Most of the rest of the state received at least half an inch of rain.