Updated Drought Information Statement For Northern & Eastern Maine - 10/15/2020

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AXUS71 KCAR 152243 AAA

DGTCAR

MEC003-009-019-021-029-222245-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

643 PM EDT THU OCT 15 2020

SYNOPSIS...

A RECENT MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN EVENT ON OCTOBER 13TH INTO EARLY 

ON OCTOBER PRODUCED 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS NEAR

4 INCHES ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT 

THIS IS NOT REFLECTED IN THIS UPDATE AS THE CUTOFF TIME FOR THE 

U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IS 8 AM EDT TUESDAY. 

IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT WITH THE RECENT SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL, 

AND FORECASTED ADDITIONAL RAINFALL LATE IN THE WEEK THAT DROUGHT 

CATEGORIES WILL CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN THE U.S. DROUGHT

MONITOR IS UPDATED ON OCTOBER 22ND. 

DROUGHT CATEGORIES HAVE CHANGED ONLY MODESTLY DURING THE PAST

WEEK. THERE WAS AN AREA OF SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT FROM (D2) SEVERE

DROUGHT TO (D1) MODERATE DROUGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN

AROOSTOOK COUNTY, SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY, AND CENTRAL

PENOBSCOT COUNTY. EXTREME DROUGHT REMAINS ACROSS 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, EXCEPT IN THE ABOVE REFERENCED AREAS THAT SAW SOME MODEST 

IMPROVEMENT. 

PRECIPITATION DURING THE PAST 30 DAYS HAS BEEN HIGHLY VARIABLE

ACROSS THE REGION RANGING FROM 50 TO 130 PERCENT OF NORMAL FROM 

THE KATAHDIN REGION AND GENERALLY FROM 25 TO 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL

SOUTH OF THE KATAHDIN REGION. DURING THE PAST 90 DAYS

PRECIPITATION

HAS BEEN WELL BELOW AVERAGE AND HAS RANGED FROM 50 TO 90 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 FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT 

IMPROVEMENT DURING THE PAST 7 DAYS DUE TO RECENT RAIN OF 1.5 TO

3 

INCHES WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO 3.5 TO 4 INCHES THAT OCCURRED ON 

OCTOBER 13TH- 14TH.

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 50 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 ABOVE AVERAGE DURING THE

NEXT 7 DAYS. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENT IS EXPECTED FRIDAY 

INTO SATURDAY WITH WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES 

WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES. 

HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...AVERAGE SEVEN DAY STREAM FLOW 

HAS IMPROVED TO NEAR NORMAL ACROSS MANY AREAS IN FAR NORTHERN 

MAINE, BUT IS STILL BELOW AVERAGE TO MUCH BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS 

MOST OF THE AREA SOUTH OF THE KATAHDIN REGION. THERE HAS BEEN 

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SOME SPOTS, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE FAR 

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

CONTINUE TO IMPROVE DURING THE NEXT WEEK DUE TO EXPECTED RAINFALL

AT THE END OF THE WEEK. RIVER LEVELS HAVE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY 

DURING THE PAST WEEK AND WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE RISES INTO 

EARLY NEXT WEEK DUE TO THE EXPECTED RAINFALL.

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

$$