Updated Drought Information Statement For Northern & Eastern Maine - 09/26/2020

000

AXUS71 KCAR 270145

DGTCAR

MEC003-009-019-021-029-040145-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

945 PM EDT SAT SEP 26 2020

SYNOPSIS...

DROUGHT CATEGORIES HAVE EXPANDED AND DETERIORATED DURING PAST

WEEK IN PARTS OF HANCOCK, PISCATAQUIS, AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES.

AN AREA OF EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) REMAINS ACROSS A PORTION OF 

CENTRAL AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND A SMALL PORTION OF EXTREME NORTHERN 

PENOBSCOT COUNTY. THIS WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF CONTINUED VERY DRY 

WEATHER DURING THE FIRST HALF OF SEPTEMBER. 

SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) NOW INCLUDES NEARLY ALL OF EASTERN AND 

NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND WAS EXPANDED WEST TO NEAR FORT KENT.

SEVERE DROUGHT ALSO INCLUDES MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL 

PENOBSCOT COUNTY, FAR NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY, AND MUCH OF 

PISCATAQUIS COUNTY AS WELL AS SOUTHERN HANCOCK COUNTY.

PRECIPITATION DURING THE PAST 60 TO 90 DAYS HAS BEEN WELL BELOW 

AVERAGE AND HAS RANGED FROM 40 TO 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE VERY 

DRY CONDITIONS HAVING CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. RAINFALL 

SINCE JUNE 1ST RANKS AS THE DRIEST ON RECORD IN CARIBOU AND 

HOULTON. ONLY 0.05" OF RAIN HAS BEEN OBSERVED (SEP 1-26) IN BANGOR

AND 0.11" IN CARIBOU, WHICH IS THE DRIEST SUCH PERIOD ON RECORD AT

BOTH LOCATIONS. THE ONLY AREA TO RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL

RECENTLY WAS ACROSS EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY WHERE A FEW SPOTS 

OBSERVED 1.5 INCHES OR MORE OF RAIN FROM HURRICANE TEDDY.

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...

VERY LOW STREAM FLOWS ACROSS THE AREA WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO

GRAIN CROPS REPORTED. POTATO AND OTHER CROPS IN THE AREA NEEDED 

EXTENSIVE IRRIGATION, ALTHOUGH MOST CROPS ARE NOW BEING REMOVED

FROM THE GROUND. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON 

THE POTATO, BLUEBERRY, AND APPLE CROPS DUE TO THE DROUGHT 

CONDITIONS. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF DUG WELLS RUNNING DRY IN 

PARTS OF SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY. MANY OF THE LARGER RIVERS ARE

AT RECORD LOW FLOWS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.

CLIMATE SUMMARY...

PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN WELL BELOW AVERAGE DURING THE PAST 60 TO

90 DAYS AND IS ONLY 40 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...

A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED WITH A FEW CHANCES OF

SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY OF THE

UPCOMING WEEK. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABOVE AVERAGE 

DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. 

HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...

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

CURRENTLY RUNNING AT ONLY 10 TO 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL. STREAM FLOW

IS EXPECTED TO RUN WELL BELOW AVERAGE DURING THE NEXT ONE TO TWO 

WEEKS, BUT POTENTIALLY COULD SEE SOME IMPROVEMENT IF HEAVIER

RAINFALL MATERIALIZES.  

NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON OCTOBER 6TH 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

$$

CB