State officials said Wednesday that drought conditions in Massachusetts had worsened, declaring much of the state to be in a “significant drought.” August was very dry, with most parts of the state seeing rainfall levels one or two inches below normal averages.

State officials said Wednesday that drought conditions in Massachusetts had worsened, declaring much of the state to be in a “significant drought.”

The state assesses drought conditions on a scale of zero to four. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said this week that western Massachusetts, the Connecticut River Valley, the central region, the northeast region, and Nantucket moved to the second drought level. The state’s southeast region moved from normal conditions to level one, or a “mild drought.”