Drought in Coastal Rockingham, New Hampshire

The USDM on June 2nd had 100% of the county in Severe Drought (D2). By June 30th, this was reduced to 34% Severe Drought, and 66% Moderate Drought. Precipitation for June averaged 3.57 inches across Rockingham County, roughly at monthly norms. Surface conditions remained steady with few notable impacts to drought. However, the groundwater deficit inherited from 2025 remained. For instance, while the monitoring well in Epping demonstrated active surface recharge during the month, overall groundwater levels remained stalled around the 5th percentile.

Throughout June 2026, New Hampshire experienced short-term drought relief driven by soaking rains, though long-term groundwater deficits persisted in the southern half of the state. Spurred by a remarkably wet May and continued rainfall in June, total drought coverage in New Hampshire fell from a high of over 68% Severe Drought (D2) in late 2025 to 35.9% total drought (D1'D2) by June 23. Northern and western New Hampshire saw drought designations completely erased due to localized rainfall exceeding 150'200% of normal. D2 Severe Drought covered 3.2%'10.9% area in the state, confined mostly to southern Rockingham and Hillsborough counties along the Massachusetts border and the Seacoast. Despite geographical shrinkage, lingering Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) drought areas overlapped with higher-density southern counties. As a result, approximately 75% of New Hampshire's residents (997,000 people) remained within a classified drought zone in late June. Deep subsurface water tables, reduced in the drought of 2025, lagged considerably due to slow infiltration rates in thicker surficial aquifers and long-term rainfall deficits. Well monitoring confirmed several southern New Hampshire wells remained in the Below to Much Below Normal categories.