000
AXUS71 KCAR 120019
DGTCAR
MEC003-009-019-021-029-190030-
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
$$
CB\
