New York City declared a drought warning on Monday, its first in 22 years, as the Northeast deals with severe dry conditions and brush fires during a historically dry autumn. Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s Department of Environmental Protection elevated a drought watch issued on Nov.

New York City on Monday issued its first drought warning in 22 years and paused major repairs to its main water aqueduct out of concern for the lack of rainfall. Dry conditions across the Northeast have been blamed for hundreds of brush fires.

Dry conditions and a lack of rain have pushed NYC officials to declare a drought warning. This comes after a drought watch went into effect just a little over two weeks ago. This is the second of three levels of water conservation in the city.