About half a foot of rain over the following month is required to alleviate the reasonable drought situations.
And as Maine is in the course of one other sizzling weekend, it doesn’t seem like that aid is coming any time quickly.
“Trying forward we have now a heat air mass transferring into subsequent week,” stated Matt Strauser, meteorologist on the Nationwide Climate Providers workplace in Caribou. “There isn’t a widespread rain anticipated, just a few hit or miss showers on Tuesday however nothing that may bust the drought.”
Greater than 81 % of the state’s inhabitants is at present experiencing the consequences of a 3rd summer season in a row of drought situations, based on the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A part of the state hit the toughest by the situations is alongside the coast, residence to most of the state’s blueberry farms. Now could be the time when the rising berries want rain to completely mature. With out it, farmers might face a repeat of the 2020 season when drought worn out crops alongside the coast.
As dry as issues at present are, it’s not as dangerous as final summer season when the state wanted 15 inches of soaking rain over three months to finish the dry situations. Right now final 12 months, greater than eight % of Maine was experiencing a extreme drought, in contrast with none this 12 months.
Solely Aroostook County is drought-free, based on NOAA, after receiving a couple of half inch extra rain than is regular for June. A tiny southwest nook of Aroostook— lower than 1 / 4 of 1 % — is experiencing abnormally dry situations.
Elsewhere, situations vary from abnormally dry to a reasonable drought in Piscataquis, Franklin, Oxford, Kennebec, Somerset, Penobscot and Hancock counties. The remainder of the state is in a reasonable drought, based on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The central space of the state — from western Maine to the coast — has seen an inch and a half much less rain in June than common. Southern Maine additionally had a dryer than common June with about an inch much less rain than common.
Strausser stated the northeast a part of the state is seeing extra rain usually this summer season. Farther south and even into New Hampshire, nonetheless, precipitation is properly under final ranges final 12 months presently.
As badly because the state wants as much as a foot of rain, Stausser stated getting it abruptly and even in two or three storms just isn’t the very best case.
Sudden storms that dump inches of rain over an space in a brief time frame could cause flash flooding, washouts and different injury. In Might, a extreme rainstorm washed out a big part of Route 1 between Van Buren and Caribou. It took greater than a month to full repairs on that street.
“One of the best case is to have rain unfold over a number of occasions with a pleasant half inch over time,” Strausser stated. “Not getting 3 or 4 inches abruptly.”
