The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday shows an expansion of both abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions across southern Maine.
The increase comes as July is now the 3rd-driest on record in the state, following an early-summer drought recovery.
Precipitation over the next couple of weeks is projected to be normal for most of Maine, with drought conditions not expected to improve.
Drought conditions are still far better than last summer when a large portion of the state was under extreme drought.
(8-14 Day Precipitation Outlook July 30)
Maine experienced its most damaging drought between 1999 and2002, during which an estimated 17,000 private wells ran dry, and farmers lost more than $32 million in crop yield.
More recently, Maine experienced significant droughts in both 2016 and 2020-2022, with widespread impacts to water supply, agriculture, and recreation.
