Updated Drought Information Statement For Northern & Eastern Maine - 10/11/2020

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AXUS71 KCAR 120019

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DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

819 PM EDT SUN OCT 11 2020

SYNOPSIS...

DROUGHT CATEGORIES HAVE CHANGED ONLY MODESTLY DURING THE PAST

WEEK. THERE WAS AN EXPANSION OF EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) INTO A SMALL

PORTION OF FAR WESTERN PISCATQUIS COUNTY WITH EXTREME DROUGHT

CONTINUING ACROSS A PORTION OF CENTRAL AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND A VERY

SMALL PORTION OF EXTREME NORTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY. ELSEWHERE,

SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) COVERS MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF NORTHERN AND

EASTERN MAINE. THERE ARE SOME AREAS IN FAR WESTERN AROOSTOOK

COUNTY (WEST OF ALLAGASH) AND CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN WASHINGTON

COUNTY, CENTRAL AND NORTHERN HANCOCK COUNTY, AND A SMALL PORTION

OF SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY THAT ARE IN MODERATE DROUGHT (D1).

THE DROUGHT IS DUE TO UNUSUALLY DRY WEATHER THIS PAST SUMMER AND

DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. 

PRECIPITATION DURING THE PAST 30 DAYS HAS BEEN WELL BELOW AVERAGE

DOWNEAST RANGING FROM 25 TO 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL. CENTRAL AND FAR

NORTHERN MAINE HAVE FARED A BIT BETTER WITH RAINFALL 50 TO 90 

PERCENT OF NORMAL. DURING THE PAST 90 DAYS PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN

WELL BELOW AVERAGE AND HAS RANGED FROM 25 TO 75 PERCENT OF 

NORMAL WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURES ACROSS EASTERN

AROOSTOOK COUNTY.

THE SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT IS DUE TO LOW SOIL MOISTURE, LACK 

OF WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL, LOW STREAM FLOWS, AND DRYING 

VEGETATION. 

SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...

RECORD LOW STREAM AND RIVER FLOWS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS THE 

AREA, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SOME MODEST IMPROVEMENT DURING THE

PAST 10 TO 14 DAYS DUE TO RECENT RAIN. 

THE CORN CROP HAS DONE WELL DESPITE THE DRY CONDITIONS, HOWEVER, 

ALMOST ALL OTHER CROPS HAVE SUFFERED. THE GRAIN CROP IS LIGHT, 

AND THE HAY CROP IS ONLY ABOUT HALF OF NORMAL. THE POTATO CROP WAS

BELOW AVERAGE, ALTHOUGH THE QUALITY OF THE CROP APPEARS IN MOST 

AREAS TO BE GOOD. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON 

THE BLUEBERRY AND APPLE CROPS DUE TO THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THERE

HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF DUG WELLS RUNNING DRY IN PARTS OF SOUTHERN 

WASHINGTON COUNTY. 

CLIMATE SUMMARY...

PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN WELL BELOW AVERAGE DURING THE PAST 60 TO

90 DAYS AND IS ONLY 25 TO 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION 

SINCE MAY 1ST, WITH THE GREATEST DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL ACROSS THE

EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY.

PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...

TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE A BIT BELOW AVERAGE EARLY IN THE

WEEK WITH A WARMING TREND INTO THE MIDDLE AND LATE WEEK. ANOTHER

COOL DOWN IS EXPECTED NEXT WEEKEND. THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL

THAT WEATHER SYSTEMS BRING WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TO THE REGION 

TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN LATE IN THE WEEK 

INTO THE START OF NEXT WEEKEND. 

HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...

AVERAGE SEVEN DAY STREAM FLOW HAS BEEN WELL BELOW NORMAL AND IS

CURRENTLY RUNNING AT ONLY 10 TO 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THERE HAS

BEEN SOME MODEST IMPROVEMENT IN SOME SPOTS, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE

FAR NORTH IN RESPONSE TO RECENT RAIN. STREAM FLOW IS EXPECTED TO 

RUN WELL BELOW AVERAGE DURING THE NEXT ONE TO TWO WEEKS, BUT 

POTENTIALLY COULD SEE IMPROVEMENT IF HEAVIER RAINFALL MATERIALIZES.

RIVER LEVELS CONTINUE TO RUN NEAR RECORD LOW LEVELS FOR THIS TIME

OF YEAR. 

NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON OCTOBER 22ND OR SOONER IF 

NECESSARY IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS.

&&

RELATED WEB SITES...

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND

AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES...

US DROUGHT MONITOR...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML

NOAA DROUGHT PAGE...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV

CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC)...HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV

US DROUGHT MONITOR...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU

CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV

NORTHEAST REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER...HTTP://WWW.NRCC.CORNELL.EDU

ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...HTTP://WATER.WEATHER.GOV

US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY...HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV

US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS...HTTP://WWW.USACE.ARMY.MIL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...

THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL

INFORMATION...THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS

AND THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS

STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...

STATE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICES...THE USDA...USACE AND USGS.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION

STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

810 MAIN ST

CARIBOU ME 04736

PHONE...207-492-0180

CARWEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV

$$

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