There’s been a slight improvement in drought conditions in Maine over the past week.
Portions of Washington, Hancock and Penobscot Counties have dropped to abnormally dry from the moderate drought level.
(Maine Drought Monitor as of November 12, 2026)
The entire state continues to be under some level of intensity, although areas of severe and extreme drought are slightly lower.
(Maine Drought Monitor as of November 5, 2026)
Extreme conditions, which is the second highest level of drought, has been present in Maine since early September.
Severe drought has dropped from 60% to roughly 51% of the state in the last seven days.
The Climate Prediction Center’s outlook calls for near-average precipitation for the next month in Maine while the temperature outlook favors moderately above normal conditions.
Maine experienced its most damaging drought between 1999 and 2002, 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.
