Drought Information Statement For Northern & Eastern Maine 07/29/2021

000

AXUS71 KCAR 292108

DGTCAR

MEC003-009-019-021-025-029-052115-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

508 PM EDT THU JUL 29 2021

.SYNOPSIS AND DROUGHT INTENSITY...

OVERALL DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAVE REMAINED RELATIVELY UNCHANGED

DURING THE PAST 2 WEEKS. SINCE THE MIDDLE OF JULY THERE HAVE BEEN

A FEW EVENTS THAT HAVE PRODUCED EITHER MORE WIDESPREAD RAIN OR 

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION. 

DURING THE PAST 14 DAYS PRECIPITATION HAS RANGED FROM 130 TO 200 

PERCENT OF NORMAL DOWNEAST AND NORTH INTO MOST OF PENOBSCOT 

COUNTY. ACROSS MOST OF AROOSTOOK AND PISCATAQUIS COUNTIES 

PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN BELOW AVERAGE RANGING FROM 25 TO 75 PERCENT

OF NORMAL.

MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE OBSERVED ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN 

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

AND SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY. THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION IS 

ABNORMALLY DRY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MOST OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, 

SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AND COASTAL HANCOCK COUNTY WHICH 

CURRENTLY ARE NOT CLASSIFIED AS ABNORMALLY DRY. 

.PRECIPITATION...

PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF JULY THROUGH THE 28TH RANGED FROM

150 TO 300 PERCENT OF NORMAL DOWNEAST, NEAR NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF

CENTRAL MAINE, AND FROM 25 TO 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS FAR

NORTHERN MAINE TO THE NORTH OF THE KATAHDIN REGION. 

DURING THE PAST 60 DAYS, PRECIPITATION HAS RANGED FROM 110 TO 150

PERCENT OF NORMAL DOWNEAST, AND FROM 40 TO 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL

ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. 

.HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS...

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

THE REGION. THE GREATEST DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL ARE ON THE

PISCATAQUIS RIVER WITH FLOW OF ONLY 7 TO 18 PERCENT OF NORMAL.

CONDITIONS IMPROVED QUITE A BIT ON THE SAINT JOHN RIVER WITH

VALUES RUNNING FROM 55 TO 74 PERCENT OF NORMAL. ELSEWHERE, VALUES

RANGED FROM 27 TO 55 PERCENT OF NORMAL ON THE AROOSTOOK, ALLAGASH,

AND PENOBSCOT RIVERS. 

SEVEN TO 14 DAY STREAMFLOWS REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS MOST OF 

NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE, BUT THAT HAS BEEN SOME IMPROVEMENT

DURING THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF RAIN AND

COOLER TEMPERATURES. 

THE MOST RECENT 7 DAY STREAMFLOWS ARE IN THE 10TH PERCENTILE 

ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND FAR NORTHERN AND 

SOUTHERN PISCATQUIS COUNTY, AND BELOW AVERAGE (10TH TO 25TH 

PERCENTILE) ACROSS MUCH OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY. NEAR NORMAL FLOWS 

RANGING FROM THE 25TH TO 75TH PERCENTILES ARE CURRENTLY OBSERVED 

ACROSS HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES AND INTO EAST AROOSTOOK 

COUNTY. IMPROVEMENT WAS ALSO NOTED IN FAR WESTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY

WHERE STREAMFLOWS ARE NOW NEAR NORMAL. 

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.

GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY NEAR NORMAL ACROSS EASTERN

MAINE. COASTAL AREAS WHICH SHOWED THE MOST IMPROVEMENT IN 

STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS WERE CAUSED MOSTLY BY THUNDERSTORMS AND DID 

LITTLE TO RECHARGE GROUNDWATER.

.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. OVERALL, THE RECENT RAINS HAVE MITIGATED THE FIRE DANGER

ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. 

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. 

.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 ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

ACROSS THE REGION. THE PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK CALLS FOR AN 

INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF ABOVE 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. 

A RAIN EVENT LATE THIS WEEK, AND ANOTHER RAIN EVENT POSSIBLE LATE

IN THE WEEKEND WILL LIKELY CAUSE MOST RIVERS AND STREAMS TO 

SLOWLY RISE DURING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL

THAT DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE DURING THE NEXT WEEK IN AREAS

THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN MODERATE DROUGHT.

.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED BY THE EVENING OF AUGUST 12TH 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

$$

CB