How brown is your lawn? Northern half of Western New York in a moderate drought

How brown is your lawn? 

If you live in Niagara, Orleans, Northern Erie and Genesee County, odds are your plants are feeling thirsty.

The U.S. Drought Monitor located in Nebraska says the northern half of Western New York is experiencing moderate drought conditions. 

Only .33 inches of rain has fallen at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport this July. 

In a moderate drought, streams, reservoirs, and wells are running low on water because of the lack of rainfall. Crops and pastures may have been damaged too. 

Both the heat and the lack of rainfall over the past two months have created conditions in northern Western New York favorable for moderate drought conditions.

The Buffalo Airport came up just under an inch below normal rainfall for the month of June.  July has only received a third of an inch of rain.  The average amount of rain July receives is 3.23" and with only a third of an inch of rain so far, it puts Buffalo in the abnormally dry category from the US Drought Monitor.

.33" of rain also puts Buffalo in the second driest July on record at the Buffalo Airport.  One good thunderstorm to pass over the rain gauge at the airport would knock us right out of the the Top 5.

Much of Western New York experienced a moderate drought two years ago. 

Nature, however, plans on watering our lawns and gardens starting this weekend and into much of next week!  7 First Alert Forecast

For those who are concerned about maintaining their lawns and gardens during this dry spell, there is one surefire way to do so.

"If you're using a regular hose, I'd probably take 20 minutes out of your day to just water," Morgan Penny from Grabber and Sons Landscape, said.

During dry and hot conditions, it's important to water plants longer than you may initially think.

"Even if you do it (water) once a day, you might need to do it three to four times a day for lawns," Penny said.

Above all, Penny emphasizes how important a proper watering technique is. Get as close to the roots of the plants as possible to maximize the amount of water that reaches the root. She also said that if you get the leaves of your plants or blades of grass wet, you could burn them. It's the risk that happens when you jump into the pool and your skin gets wet.