A moderate drought has been declared for the area from the Finger Lakes region to Buffalo, N.Y., down to north-central Pennsylvania, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

The water woes are compounded by record-breaking temperatures in much of the region, said Keith Eggleston, climatologist for the center.

Ithaca has been drier than anywhere else in the Northeast, with Binghamton and Buffalo close behind. Upstate New York cities also have been coping with record-breaking high temperatures. The minimal precipitation in July and the early part of August are hitting agriculture in the region particularly hard.

"The last time we had drought conditions in this part of the country was in 2002, but that drought had its biggest impact closer to the coast in southeastern New York, northern New Jersey and Delaware," said Eggleston. "This drought is localized in the Allegheny plateau – western New York and south into Pennsylvania. Fortunately, a lot of rain in June and a wet April helped prevent too much of a water deficit."

Ithaca, with its hottest summer on record, has received only 1.47 inches of rain since July 1, making it the city's third-driest summer in 111 years of record keeping; that compares with an average rainfall of 4.83 inches during the same period. Binghamton has received only 2.27 inches since July 1, compared with its average of 4.69 inches, and Buffalo has had 2.6 inches of rain, compared with its average of 4.4 inches.

Albany, on the other hand, has had 7.55 inches of rain since July 1, more than 2 inches over its average rainfall of 5 inches, making it the fifth-wettest summer on record.

Parts of the Midwest, however, are experiencing a severe drought, reflecting months of drought before this summer, said Eggleston. Chicago, for example, is experiencing its driest season in 47 years. It has received 2.17 inches of precipitation, more rain than Ithaca, but its water reserves were already low before the summer started.

For a drought map of the United States, see http://drought.unl.edu/dm.