An East Coast drought that’s fuelling wildfires is also drying up farmers’ fields, and has homeowners scrambling to refill empty wells.

Nova Scotia, eastern Newfoundland, southeastern New Brunswick and portions of Prince Edward Island shifted into moderate to severe drought conditions over the past month, says an Agriculture Canada update released Tuesday.

Rainfall has plummeted to roughly 60 per cent of normal levels in Halifax, with 270 millimetres falling from April to the end of July, compared to average levels of 460 mm for the same period, the federal agency says. In Newfoundland and Labrador, where wildfire smoke is swirling within sight of the capital St. John’s, rainfall over the same period is down about one-third from normal levels.

“It looks to be one of the driest Augusts

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