Drought Information Statement For Northern & Eastern Maine 07/15/2021

000

AXUS71 KCAR 152201

DGTCAR

MEC003-009-019-021-025-029-222215-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

601 PM EDT THU JUL 15 2021

.SYNOPSIS AND DROUGHT INTENSITY...

DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED ACROSS THE REGION SINCE THE LAST

UPDATE ON JULY 4TH. THE COMBINATION OF POST TROPICAL STORM ELSA

AND A PREDECESSOR RAIN EVENT BROUGHT WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION TO

THE REGION. 

MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE OBSERVED ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN 

SOMERSET COUNTY, MUCH OF PISCATQUIS COUNTY, AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN 

AND FAR NORTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY. THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION IS 

ABNORMALLY DRY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MOST OF WASHINGTON COUNTY 

AND SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY WHICH CURRENTLY ARE NO LONGER 

CLASSIFIED AS ABNORMALLY DRY. 

.PRECIPITATION...

PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE WAS MOSTLY WELL BELOW AVERAGE

RANGING FROM 25 TO 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL, WITH ONLY FAR NORTHERN 

AREAS RECEIVING 80 TO 110 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. RAINFALL INCREASED

SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE FIRST HALF OF JULY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF

FAR NORTHERN MAINE. THE COMBINATION OF POST TROPICAL STORM ELSA 

AND A PREDECESSOR RAIN BROUGHT WIDESPREAD 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN TO

THE REGION WITH 3 TO 5 INCH TOTALS IN PARTS OF HANCOCK, PENOBSCOT,

AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. THROUGH THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF JULY, 

PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 200 TO 300 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE 

DOWNEAST REGION AND INTO THE UPPER PENOBSCOT VALLEY. ACROSS THE 

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AND SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY PRECIPITATION 

RANGED FROM 80 TO 130 PERCENT OF NORMAL. ACROSS FAR NORTHERN AREAS

PRECIPITATION WAS MORE SCANT WITH AMOUNTS RANGING FROM AS LITTLE 

AS 20 TO 30 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY TO 60 

PERCENT OF NORMAL IN CARIBOU. 

.HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS...

RIVER FLOWS: REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR ACROSS THE

REGION. THE GREATEST DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL ARE ON THE SAINT JOHN

RIVER, AROOSTOOK RIVER, ALLAGASH, AND PISCATAQUIS RIVERS WITH 

AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 15 TO 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL. CONDITIONS ARE 

SOMEWHAT BETTER TO THE SOUTH ACROSS THE PENOBSCOT RIVERS WITH 

VALUES MOSTLY RANGING FROM 35 TO 60 PERCENT OF NORMAL. 

SEVEN TO 14 DAY STREAMFLOWS REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS MOST OF

NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. THE MOST RECENT 7 DAY STREAMFLOWS 

ARE IN THE 10TH PERCENTILE ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN AROOSTOOK 

COUNTY AND SOUTHERN PISCATQUIS COUNTY, AND BELOW AVERAGE (10TH TO

25TH PERCENTILE) ACROSS MUCH OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY. NORMAL TO ABOVE

NORMAL STREAMS RANGING FROM THE 50TH TO 90TH PERCENTILES ARE 

CURRENTLY OBSERVED ACROSS HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES AND INTO

SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY.

GROUNDWATER AND WATER STORAGE (LAKES/RESERVOIRS): A LONG-TERM 

IMPACT OF THE DROUGHT IS LOWER GROUNDWATER LEVELS. GROUNDWATER 

LEVELS ARE VERY SLOW TO RESPOND, AND ALSO CAN BE VERY SLOW TO 

RECOVER. MOST LAKES AND RESERVOIRS ACROSS THE REGION ARE RUNNING 

BELOW SEASONAL NORMAL VALUES ACROSS THE REGION, ESPECIALLY ACROSS 

CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS WHERE RAINFALL DEFICITS ARE GREATEST.

.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...

WATER RESOURCES: NONE AT THIS TIME. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME REPORTS

OF PRIVATE WELLS THAT HAVE RUN DRY IN AROOSTOOK AND PENOBSCOT

COUNTIES, BUT THE LOCATION OF THESE WELLS IS UNKNOWN. WE ARE NOT 

AWARE OF ANY COMMUNITY WATER RESTRICTIONS IN OUR REGION AT THIS 

TIME.

WILDFIRE CONDITIONS: THE MAINE FOREST SERVICE HAS REPORTED DRY 

CONDITIONS BETWEEN SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENTS, LEADING TO A 

RELATIVELY HIGHER OCCURRENCE OF WILDFIRE EVENTS SO FAR THIS 

SEASON.

AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS: NONE NOTED AT THIS TIME. GIVEN THAT MOST

FARMING ACROSS OUR REGION IS ACROSS THE NORTH AND EAST WHERE

THERE IS NO DROUGHT AND IN SOME LOCATIONS ABNORMALLY DRY, 

ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO LAST SUMMER THIS TIME, THERE HAS NOT BEEN 

AS MUCH STRESS ON POTATO AND OTHER LOCAL CROPS SUCH AS 

BROCCOLI. SOME CROPS IN THE AREA ARE REQUIRING IRRIGATION.

.DROUGHT MITIGATION ACTIONS...

THE STATE OF MAINE HAS ACTIVATED ITS DROUGHT TASK FORCE. HYDRO 

OPERATORS ARE MONITORING CONDITIONS AND BALANCING NEEDS OF LAKE 

LEVELS, HYDROELECTRIC POWER GENERATION NEEDS, AND DISCHARGES TO 

MAINTAIN STREAM FLOW AND RECREATION NEEDS DOWNSTREAM. 

IN RESPONSE TO ESCALATED DROUGHT, THE MAINE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

AGENCY HAS PUBLISHED AN ONLINE SURVEY FOR HOME OWNERS TO REPORT 

PRIVATE WELLS RUNNING DRY AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASSISTANCE:

HTTPS://MAINE-DRY-WELL-SURVEY-MAINE.HUB.ARCGIS.COM/.

.PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE AND HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOKS...

CPC'S OUTLOOK FROM DAYS 6 TO 14 FAVORS BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

ACROSS THE REGION. THE PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK CALLS FOR AN

INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION. LONGER RANGE

OUTLOOKS FOR AUGUST CALL FOR AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF ABOVE

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND CURRENTLY NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT

WOULD POINT TOWARD IT BEING UNUSUALLY DRY OR WET. 

THERE WILL BE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AT TIMES DURING

THE NEXT WEEK WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL, BUT

AT THIS TIME WIDESPREAD STEADIER RAINS ARE NOT EXPECTED. THIS WILL

LIKELY CAUSE MOST RIVERS AND STREAMS TO SLOWLY FALL DURING THE

NEXT WEEK. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY

DEVELOP WHERE THERE CURRENTLY ARE NO DROUGHT CONDITIONS, AND MAY

WORSEN IN AREAS WHERE THERE IS CURRENT MODERATE DROUGHT. 

.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED BY THE EVENING OF JULY 29TH UPON THE

RELEASE OF THE UPDATED U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR THAT DAY, OR SOONER 

WHEN OTHER SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION WARRANTS AN EARLIER UPDATE. 

&&

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

$$