#47. Pennsylvania

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– Share of state experiencing drought conditions (20-year average): 9,158 sq. mi. (20.2% of land area); 2,454,188 people (19.3% of population)

— Moderate drought: 1,951 sq. mi. (4.3% of land area); 708,732 people (5.6% of population)

— Severe drought: 341 sq. mi. (0.8% of land area); 199,041 people (1.6% of population)

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— Extreme drought: 69 sq. mi. (0.2% of land area); 72,441 people (0.6% of population)

— Exceptional drought: zero sq. mi.; 15 people

Abnormally dry conditions gripped large swaths of New England and Northern New York, then Pennsylvania, in summer 2020. Conditions were particularly bad on the state’s southern border with West Virginia and the Lehigh Valley area, which is home to the historic towns of Bethlehem and Allentown. The statewide drought watch finally ended in early February 2021.

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