BOSTON – Drought conditions have reached significant, even critical, levels across much of Massachusetts, state officials said Thursday.

Energy and Environmental Affairs Sec. Rebecca Tepper said Worcester, Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties are in a critical Level 3 drought. The rest of the state, except Cape Cod and the Islands, is in a significant Level 2 drought , Tepper said.

“After more than a month without rain and devastating forest fires“Massachusetts is clearly experiencing significant drought conditions,” Tepper said in a statement.

Massachusetts residents urged to limit water consumption

The State has made recommendations for those in areas of significant or critical drought. Individuals and businesses in both categories are asked to “minimize their overall water consumption” and follow local water use restrictions.

Recommendations for “critical” regions go even further, urging residents to “immediately repair any leaking toilets or faucets” and “aggressively reduce indoor water use by taking showers.” shorter, by running dishwashers and washing machines only at full load.”

Cities and towns in critical areas are also advised to “enforce restrictions on water use with increasingly strict penalties” and strongly discourage washing of cars, boats and surfaces hard exterior surfaces such as sidewalks, patios, driveways and siding.

“This fall has been different”

Hot and dry conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue another red flag warning for Friday to let people know that fires could spread quickly. The state experienced 203 bushfires in October, far more than the historical average of 15.

According to the last forecastit could be another week before beneficial precipitation in Massachusetts.

“This fall has been different for all of us. Climate change is sometimes leading to drier weather in our state and extreme precipitation in others,” Sec said. Tepper said. “It is essential that we all practice water conservation methods, especially indoors, and adhere to local requirements to reduce stress on our water systems and ensure that essential needs, such as drinking water, habitats and fire suppression, are satisfied.”