New York City has elevated its “drought watch” to a “drought warning” amid ongoing record dry conditions in the five boroughs, officials said Monday.

At a news briefing, Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers to conserve water, saying city agencies would take their own measures to do the same. The city was last under a “drought warning" in 2002.

“A drought warning is the second of three levels of water conservation in our city, and I want to be clear on this: This is not normal, and I’m pretty sure if you’re outside, you may enjoy the beautiful weather in November, but the reality is, climate change is real, and it’s impacting our city,” Adams said. “And while we cannot make it rain, we can take actions to reduce the risk of drought emergencies in our city.”

The NYPD, the FDNY and the city’s Department of Sanitation will all cut back on vehicle washing to save water, with the Department of Sanitation also set to suspend street flushing activities, City Hall said in a news release.

Both the NYPD and the FDNY will work to close illegally opened fire hydrants, while the city’s Parks Department will limit the amount of water fountains and golf courses use, the release said.

The city’s Department of City Administrative Services, meanwhile, will no longer wash the exteriors of city buildings, the release added.

The MTA will also be taking water conservation measures, including reducing fleet washing for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad trains, cutting fleet washing for subway cars by 50%, washing New York City Transit buses every other day and making fixing leaks in stations and tunnels a priority, the agency said in a release. 

“We’re ready to do our part, and as the mayor and the governor lead us through this emergency situation, we’re going to be looking for a collaboration and upgrading, if necessary,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said at the briefing.

Earlier this month, officials declared the city was under a “drought watch” amid a “historic lack of precipitation.”

This fall has been the driest fall on record for the five boroughs, and October was the driest month on record. The city has only seen rain twice in the past 45 days, according to NY1's chief meteorologist John Davitt, with the first significant rainfall since September only expected later this week.

There have also been brush fires throughout the city, including one at Inwood Hill Park last week, which was a result of the dry conditions.

"There were more than 300 brush fires ignited this month,” Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said.

Adams on Monday asked New Yorkers to “continue to save water wherever and whenever possible,” suggesting that city residents take shorter showers and not let the water run while brushing their teeth.

In his release, he also advised residents to report open fire hydrants and street leaks to 311, avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily, only run dishwashers and washing machines when full and install “water-saving fixtures.”

“If we pull together, save water together, we can be able to ride this through, and we can avoid a more serious drought that would require further restrictions in the city,” he said.

The city’s Department of Environmental Protection is also pausing the final phase of its $2 billion Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project due to low water reservoir levels, the mayor said.

“The ongoing and historic lack of rainfall, both in the city and in the upstate watershed where our reservoirs are located, has become more critical,” DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said in a statement.

New York City’s reservoirs are currently at 60% capacity, down from the normal of 80%, and reservoir levels have dropped around 5% in the past two weeks, according to Davitt.

DEP is aiming to restart the project next year, City Hall said in its release.