Severe droughts have more than doubled in Massachusetts: About 67 percent of the state is now in severe drought, up from a third of the state as of last week, according to the Drought Monitor. Drought intensity ranges from “abnormally dry” conditions to “moderate,” “severe,” “extreme,” and “exceptional” droughts.

New England has not received significant amounts of rain since August and recent light showers have not been enough to alleviate this dry situation.

A persistent high pressure system that settled over New England kept rain away by diverting storm tracks north toward Canada, or at the very least helped dissipate the storms as it approaches New England, injecting dry air into the low pressure systems. reduce the amount of precipitation in our region. Essentially, the jet stream, or train track in our weather, is more flattened than wavy, meaning storm systems just aren’t as strong by the time they reach the New England region, this which allows them to easily dissipate when they interact. with prevailing dry air.

Unfortunately, these severe drought conditions are not unique to New England.

“If you look at the full national map, there’s a lot of color, it’s a U.S.-wide problem,” Fuchs said. Last week, drought conditions covered 43.4 percent of the United States, the most since the Drought Monitor began analyzing data in 1999. Thursday morning’s update shows a slight improvement in nationally compared to last week, with the percentage falling to 41.6 percent.

Precipitation in Boston has been nearly 7 inches below normal since September 1, the start of meteorological fall. Other areas of New England are as much as 9 inches behind, according to the latest data. The map below shows the rainfall deficit over the last 30 days.

Across New England, “drought has increased in extent and intensity,” Fuchs said, noting that short-term impacts are also being felt.

Short-term impacts are usually visible in our gardens and lawns, and longer-term impacts have serious consequences, Fuchs said. Long-term hydrological impacts develop over time, he said, but we are already seeing “impacts on groundwater and flow in rivers and streams.”

This time of year, stream and river flows reach record levels throughout southern New England.

The weekly Drought Monitor report is compiled in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Globe staff Ken Mahan contributed to this report.

Chris Gloninger is a senior meteorologist and climatologist at the Woods Hole Group.