September 2020 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...SEPTEMBER CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE...

SEPTEMBER 2020 FINISHED A LITTLE WARMER THAN AVERAGE ACROSS THE

REGION, BUT MUCH DRIER THAN AVERAGE.

TEMPERATURES FINISHED 1 TO 2 DEGREES F ABOVE NORMAL WITH THE 57.1

DEGREES AVERAGE AT CARIBOU THE 14TH WARMEST SEPTEMBER, SIGNIFICANTLY

BEHIND THE SEPTEMBER RECORD OF 61.7 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1999. AFTER

A NEAR AVERAGE FIRST 10 DAYS, IT TURNED DECIDELY COOLER MID TO LATE

MONTH WHICH WAS CULMINATED BY 4 TO 5 CONSECUTIVE FROSTY NIGHTS OF

NEAR TO BELOW FREEZING TEMPS, ENDING THE GROWING SEASON FOR MOST OF

THE REGION EXCEPT THE DOWNEAST COAST. THE LAST 5 DAYS OF THE MONTH

FINISHED MUCH ABOVE NORMAL WITH NEAR RECORD TO RECORD TEMPS,

INCLUDING THE 83 DEGREE HIGH AND 66 DEGREE LOW TEMPS RECORDED AT

CARIBOU ON THE 29TH, WITH THE 66 DEGREE LOW THE WARMEST SUCH LOW

THIS LATE IN THE SEASON.

THE BIG STORY THOUGH, WAS THE CONTINUATION OF THE DROUGHT WHICH

BEGAN IN LATE MAY/EARLY JUNE. RAINFALL WAS A VERY SCANT 5 TO 40

PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION. THE TOTAL OF 0.28 INCHES AT

BANGOR EASILY BROKE THE PRIOR DRIEST SEPTEMBER THERE OF 0.64 INCHES

SET BACK IN 1929. IN FACT, SEPTEMBER 2020 WAS LIKELY THE 3RD DRIEST

MONTH OF RECORD, WITH ONLY MARCH 1965 (0.26 INCHES) AND OCTOBER 1947

(0.20 INCHES) OFFICIALLY RECEIVING LESS. THE TOTAL OF 0.06 INCHES

RECORDED AT BANGOR FOR JULY 1952 IS IN DOUBT DUE TO MISSING DATA FOR

THE 26TH AND 27TH OF THAT MONTH WHERE RAIN DID FALL AROUND BANGOR ON

THOSE DAYS.

IT WAS ALSO THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER OF RECORD AT HOULTON WHERE THE 0.50

INCH TOTAL BEAT THE PRIOR RECORD OF 0.66 INCHES SET IN 1950.

MILLINOCKET`S TOTAL OF 0.88 INCHES THIS MONTH WAS THE 3RD DRIEST

SEPTEMBER WITH THE DRIEST 0.60 INCHES RECORDED IN 2014. AT CARIBOU,

THE TOTAL OF 1.15 INCHES WAS THE SECOND DRIEST SEPTEMBER WITH THE

DRIEST 0.86 INCHES IN 1968. PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH,

CARIBOU WAS ON TRACK TO FINISH THE MONTH WITH JUST 0.14 INCHES,

WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SECOND DRIEST MONTH ON RECORD (DRIEST

MONTH OF RECORD JANUARY 1944 WITH 0.12 INCHES), BUT LOCALLY HEAVY

RAINFALL OF 1.01 INCHES FELL ON THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH.

CONTINUED BELOW AVERAGE RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION FROM MAY THROUGH

SEPTEMBER RESULTED IN RECORD LOW RIVER FLOWS AND SOME SITES,

PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE SAINT JOHN AND AROOSTOOK RIVER BASINS, WHERE

SOME STRETCHES OF RIVER LOOKED LIKE VERY LOW TIDE ON WELL

ESTABLISHED SAND BAR OCEAN BEACHES. DROUGHT SEVERITY GENERALLY

INCREASED TO SEVERE TO EXTREME FOR MOST OF THE REGION BY LATE IN THE

MONTH, WITH CONCERNS ABOUT POTATO HARVEST YIELD AND SOME HAND DUG

WELLS GOING DRY.

THE OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IS CALLING FOR ABOVE NORMAL

TEMPERATURES AND NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE REGION. AVERAGE

TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM LOWS/HIGHS OF MID 30S/UPPER 50S NORTH TO MID

40S/LOW 60S DOWNEAST. AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IS ABOUT 3.50 TO 4.00

INCHES REGION WIDE.

Updated Drought Information Statement For Northern & Eastern Maine - 10/02/2020

000

AXUS71 KCAR 020613

DGTCAR

MEC003-009-019-021-029-090615-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

213 AM EDT FRI OCT 2 2020

SYNOPSIS...

DROUGHT CATEGORIES HAVE DETERIORATED DURING PAST WEEK WITH A

SLIGHT EXPANSION IN THE AREA OF (D2) SEVERE DROUGHT TO INCLUDE 

MORE OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY WITH JUST A VERY MINOR EXPANSION 

ELSEWHERE. 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 MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. IT WAS THE DRIEST 

SEPTEMBER ON RECORD IN BANGOR AND HOULTON, AND THE 2ND DRIEST ON

RECORD IN CARIBOU.  

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

NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND WAS EXPANDED SLIGHTLY WEST TO NEAR 

ALLAGASH. SEVERE DROUGHT ALSO INCLUDES NEARLY ALL OF PISCATQUIS

COUNTY, MUCH OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, FAR NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY,

AND SOUTHERN HANCOCK COUNTY.

PRECIPITATION DURING THE PAST 30 DAYS HAS BEEN WELL BELOW AVERAGE

RANGING FROM ONLY 5 TO 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL. DURING THE PAST 60 TO

90 DAYS PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN WELL BELOW AVERAGE AND HAS RANGED 

FROM 25 TO 70 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE VERY DRY CONDITIONS HAVE 

CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. RAINFALL SINCE JUNE 1ST RANKS AS THE

DRIEST ON RECORD IN CARIBOU AND HOULTON.

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

HOWEVER, ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE HAS SUFFERED. THE GRAIN CROP IS 

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

CROP IS LIGHT AND DEPENDENT ON THE AMOUNT OF IRRIGATION THAT WAS 

PROVIDED TO THE CROP. 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 70 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION 

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

EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY.

PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...

SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER

WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A HALF INCH OF RAIN LATE THIS WEEK AND

ANOTHER CHANCE OF RAIN TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. 

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 11TH 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