#33. Connecticut

%2333.+Connecticut

– Share of state experiencing drought conditions (20-year average): 1,395 sq. mi. (28.0% of land area); 991,934 people (27.8% of population)

— Moderate drought: 629 sq. mi. (12.6% of land area); 448,599 people (12.6% of population)

— Severe drought: 228 sq. mi. (4.6% of land area); 175,548 people (4.9% of population)

— Extreme drought: 36 sq. mi. (0.7% of land area); 27,143 people (0.8% of population)

— Exceptional drought: zero sq. mi.; no people

After months of drought, Connecticut finally escaped exceptionally dry conditions in December 2020, but as of March 2021, 20.6% of the state is facing abnormally dry conditions. In 2020, more than half the state was classified as too dry, and the pandemic drove up water consumption in the already-parched New England state.