Drought Information Statement For Northern & Eastern Maine 09/02/2021

000

AXUS71 KCAR 022122

DGTCAR

MEC003-009-019-021-025-029-092130-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

522 PM EDT THU SEP 2 2021

.SYNOPSIS AND DROUGHT INTENSITY...

DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAVE DETERIORATED DURING THE PAST WEEK ACROSS

PORTIONS OF NORTHERN MAINE. PLEASE VISIT THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR

AT WWW.DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU FOR A VISUAL DEPICTION OF THE 

DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE STATE. 

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS TO THE AREA OF MODERATE DROUGHT 

(D1) WHICH WAS EXPANDED TO THE EAST TO INCLUDE ALL OF PISCATAQUIS 

COUNTY AND INTO PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PENOBSCOT COUNTY.

THIS EXPANSION WAS DUE TO PRECIPITATION DEFICITS DURING THE PAST 

30 TO 90 DAYS, LOW SOIL MOISTURE, AND BELOW NORMAL STREAMFLOW 

ACTIVITY. ACCORDING TO THE USGS, STREAMFLOW ACTIVITY ON THE EAST 

BRANCH OF THE PENOBSCOT RIVER WAS IN THE 8TH PERCENTILE. 

DURING THE PAST 14 DAYS, PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN HIGHLY VARIABLE 

ACROSS THE REGION. THE MOST WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION FELL WITH

THE REMAINS OF A TROPICAL SYSTEM (HENRI) ON AUGUST 23-24 THAT 

LOCALLY PRODUCED OVER 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK 

COUNTY, COASTAL HANCOCK COUNTY, PARTS OF COASTAL WASHINGTON 

COUNTY, AND IN PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PENOBSCOT COUNTY. 

FOR THE 14 DAY PERIOD ENDING ON SEPTEMBER 1ST, PRECIPITATION 

RANGED FROM 130 TO 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK 

COUNTY AND ALONG COASTAL HANCOCK COUNTY. THERE WAS A SMALL AREA 

OF NEAR AVERAGE PRECIPITATION THAT EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL HANCOCK 

COUNTY NORTH INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY. 

ELSEWHERE, PRECIPITATION WAS MOSTLY ONLY 25 TO 70 PERCENT OF 

NORMAL. PRECIPITATION WAS LESS THAN 25 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS 

NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY. DUE TO 

THE NATURE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, SOME LOCAL BASINS 

RECEIVED MORE OR LESS PRECIPITATION THAN DESCRIBED ABOVE. 

.PRECIPITATION...

PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST RANGED FROM 25 TO 75 PERCENT

OF NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION. THE ONLY AREAS WITH ABOVE AVERAGE

PRECIPITATION WERE ACROSS PARTS OF HANCOCK COUNTY, EXTREME

SOUTHEAST PENOBSCOT COUNTY, AND A SMALL PORTION OF SOUTHEAST

AROOSTOOK COUNTY WHERE RAINFALL WAS 100 TO 130 PERCENT OF NORMAL.  

FOR THE METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER (JUNE THROUGH AUGUST), PRECIPITATION

RANGED FROM 100 TO 130 PERCENT OF NORMAL DOWNEAST AND INTO 

NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY, AND FROM 50 TO 90 PERCENT ACROSS THE 

REMAINDER OF NORTHERN MAINE. ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK COUNTY

PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 25 TO 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL. 

SINCE JUNE 1ST, 8.81 INCHES OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED AT CARIBOU. A

TOTAL OF 13.58" OF EVAPORATION WAS OBSERVED. IT IS IMPORTANT TO 

NOTE THAT THIS IS A SLIGHT UNDERESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL EVAPORATION 

AS READINGS WERE NOT TAKEN ON JUNE 1-5.

.HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS...

RIVER FLOWS: REMAIN WELL BELOW TO BELOW AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF 

YEAR. THE GREATEST DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL ARE ON THE PISCATAQUIS 

RIVER WITH FLOW OF ONLY 4 TO 14 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE

PISCATAQUIS RIVER AT DOVER-FOXCROFT WHICH HAS 118 YEARS OF RECORD 

WAS THE LOWEST ON RECORD FOR AUGUST 26TH. 

ON THE SAINT JOHN RIVER WITH VALUES IMPROVED A BIT THIS WEEK AND

ARE NOW RUNNING FROM 28 TO 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL. ELSEWHERE, 

VALUES RANGED FROM 20 TO 28 PERCENT OF NORMAL ON THE AROOSTOOK 

AND ALLAGASH RIVERS. ON THE PENOBSCOT RIVER, CONDITIONS

DETERIORATED IN THE PAST WEEK AND NOW RANGE FROM 32 TO 53 PERCENT

OF NORMAL. FINALLY, ON THE MATTAWAMKEAG CONDITIONS ALSO 

DETERIORATED IN THE PAST WEEK AND ARE 56 PERCENT OF NORMAL AT 

MATTAWAMKEAG. 

SEVEN TO 14 DAY STREAMFLOWS VARY SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE REGION.

THEY ARE NEAR NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON 

COUNTIES, AND ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS A SMALL AREA THAT EXTENDS FROM

FAR NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY INTO SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE REGION STREAMFLOWS ARE EITHER BELOW OR WELL

BELOW NORMAL, AND EXTREMELY LOW IN SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS 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. 

GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY WELL BELOW NORMAL ACROSS

NORTHERN MAINE AND CLOSER TO NORMAL ACROSS EASTERN MAINE. WELLS

IN MILLINOCKET AND CLAYTON LAKE REGISTERED RECORD LOWS FOR THE 

MONTH OF AUGUST BASED ON PERIODS OF RECORD THAT GO BACK 30-40 

YEARS. 

.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 

THAT WILDFIRE ACTIVITY IS NEAR NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR

AFTER AN ACTIVE START TO THE FIRE WEATHER SEASON THIS SPRING.

AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS: GIVEN THE EXPANSION OF MODERATE DROUGHT 

CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AGRICULTURAL AREAS OF THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY

IRRIGATION OF MANY CROPS HAS BEEN REQUIRED. THERE HAS NOT BEEN AS

MUCH STRESS ON POTATO AND OTHER LOCAL CROPS SUCH AS BROCCOLI 

COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR, BUT SOME CROPS THAT ARE NOT

RECEIVING IRRIGATION ARE FAILING. 

.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...

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTERS OUTLOOK FROM DAYS 6 TO 10 (SEP 

8-12) FAVORS ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION. THE 

PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK CALLS FOR NEAR AVERAGE PRECIPITATION. THE 

DAYS 8-14 (SEP 10-16) CALLS FOR AN INCREASED CHANCE OF ABOVE 

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO STRONG SIGNALS THAT

WOULD POINT TOWARD IT BEING UNUSUALLY WET OR DRY.

RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMAINS OF IDA ARE NOT INCLUDED IN

THIS REPORT AS THE DATA CUTOFF FOR THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IS 8

AM EDT ON TUESDAY WITH THE UPDATED MONITOR BEING RELEASED AT 8:30

AM EDT EACH THURSDAY. 

.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED BY LATE FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 17,

2021, OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT. 

&&

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