A summer short of rain prompted state officials Monday to declare a drought watch in 25 counties mostly in western Pennsylvania.

The action by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) marks the second fall in a row where drought conditions have affected Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania received very little rain over the summer,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “DEP makes drought declarations based on long-term trends.”

Beaver, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Schuylkill, Somerset, Tioga, Venango, Warren and Washington counties are under the drought watch.

A watch is the first of three stages of official action on drought DEP can take. County residents are encouraged, but not required, to reduce their water use by 5% to 10%.

Drought warnings bring calls to voluntarily reduce water use by 10% to 15%.

A drought emergency is declared by the governor and allows for mandatory water use restrictions.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) issued water restrictions last month at 44 locations due to low flow water conditions.

Thirty-nine of the locations are tied to Marcellus Shale gas development.

Shale gas sites are among the first to be restricted by low flow conditions because they are on small streams.

DEP just ended a drought watch on July 2 for a remaining eight counties after a significant drought affected the eastern part of Pennsylvania starting in fall 2024.

This was considered the driest year on record for some areas since 2002.

Heavy rains last spring ended the drought conditions.