PITTSBURGH (TNS) — While many are enjoying unseasonably sunny skies and warm temperatures, it looks like some rain would be appreciated across the state.

More than 30 counties are now under a drought watch, with two under a drought warning, due to a lack of rain in September and October, the Department of Environmental Protection’s Drought Task Force announced Friday.

Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties are being asked to limit nonessential water use, along with staying aware that these conditions create a higher risk of wildfires, the task force said in a news release.

“Much of the Commonwealth is at a high risk for fire danger as a result of dry conditions, and it is critical that Pennsylvanians use extreme caution when handling fire or avoid any burning as these conditions persist,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a statement.

Residents can check DCNR’s Wildfire Danger Forecast Map to see current wildfire conditions, the release said.

Pennsylvania has seen a particularly dry last six months, especially in the southeast, said Jessica Shirley, the DEP’s acting secretary, in the release.

Usually, Pittsburgh will get the remnants of tropical storms in the Gulf or precipitation caused by low pressure systems, said Shannon Hefferan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Pittsburgh in Moon, on Friday.

But the last few months have not been favorable when it comes to large amounts of rainfall.

“Our precipitation for the month of October was 1.27 inches; that’s below average by 1.56 inches for the month of October,” she said. “All of our climate sites were below average by roughly an inch and a half to two and a half inches, almost three inches, in Ohio. In the summertime, we were below average too, hence the drought outlook.”

The region has also been experiencing record high temperatures.

In October, Pittsburgh normally averages around 57 degrees, with highs of 69.2 degrees and lows of 44.9 degrees, according to the NWS Pittsburgh. Instead, the region has seen temperatures three degrees higher than average.

Pittsburgh has additionally had high temperatures measuring six degrees above normal, at 83 degrees, along with low temperatures measuring one degree above normal.

All of this combined has created the driest October in Pittsburgh since 1997, according to the NWS Pittsburgh.

Droughts are measured by four criteria: precipitation, stream flows, groundwater levels and soil moisture. There are also several different levels of drought that can be measured, including watch, warning and emergency.

A watch, which southwestern Pa. is currently experiencing, is when residents are encouraged, but not required, to limit water usage by 5 to 10%.

A warning, which has hit Berks and Schuylkill counties in eastern Pa., is when residents are again encouraged, but not required, to limit water usage by 10 to 15%. Lastly, an emergency is a severe event called by the governor, in which emergency water restrictions are implemented — which officials said is unlikely.

Since the summer, the region has been under a high pressure system, which has resulted sunny days and high temperatures.

Even though there have been spots of heavy rainfall here and there, it has not been enough to prevent the drought. Ms. Hefferan said that parts of Ohio and West Virginia that the NWS Pittsburgh measures are also dealing with low precipitation levels.

According to the United States Drought Monitor, every state in the lower 48 is experiencing a drought, except Kentucky, which is the highest amount since the tracker was created.

Currently, 40% of Pennsylvania’s topsoil has seen “short or very short” moisture levels, said Russell Redding, Pennsylvania’s agricultural secretary, in a statement. This can be especially hard for farmers in the state who rely heavily on water.

Over 300 million acres of major crops across the country are experiencing drought conditions this week, a 57% increase since last month, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

And it is not looking like things are going to change anytime soon for Pittsburgh, Ms. Hefferan said.

NWS Pittsburgh is predicting just a quarter of an inch of rainfall in the next seven days, which will not be helpful in combating the current conditions, she said. In order to get out of the dry spell, the region will need a good amount of precipitation.

“We probably won’t get out of the drought until we get some snow pack or a system that will wield inches of rain,” she said. “But looking at the long term, like in the next two weeks, it doesn’t look good. So people who have dry wells will need to find other means of support for water.”