Text Products for DGT Issued by GYX

Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Versions: 1 2 3
000
AXUS71 KGYX 301726
DGTGYX
MEC007-017-025-NHC007-071730-

Drought Information Statement
National Weather Service Gray ME
126 PM EDT Thu Sep 30 2021

..DROUGHT GRADUALLY DECLINING FOR MOST...BUT SEVERE CONDITIONS REMAIN FOR
THE LAKES REGION...


.SYNOPSIS:
September has brought above normal rainfall for all but northern
New Hampshire and northwestern Maine where moderate and severe
drought conditions continue. A widespread soaking rain brought an
inch to most areas between the 24th and 26th, with locally higher
amounts upwards of 6 inches over the Midcoast and central Maine.
This beneficial rainfall when combined with the end of the growing
season has lowered water demands for much of the region. The U.S.
drought monitor has highlighted these positive trends with a
slight reduction in moderate drought areas across central Maine.
However, year to date deficits continue for the drought stricken
Lakes Region with reports of 6 to 12 inches below normal since
January 1.

.Drought intensity and extent:
Here is a breakdown of the U.S. Drought Monitor across western
Maine and New Hampshire issued on September 28 2021. The moderate
(D1) drought conditions across Maine were reduced to a (D0)
across portions of southern Oxford, Franklin, and Somerset
Counties. Severe drought conditions remain unchanged for the
central and northern portions of those counties as they have
missed out on the more notable rainfall amounts.

There were no significant changes to the drought classifications in
New Hampshire. Less than 1% of the state remained in a severe
drought (D2) in far eastern Coos County and the headwaters of the
Androscoggin River. The moderate drought conditions (D1) had been
reduced to 3% of the state, focused again across eastern Coos
County. The abnormally dry (D0) across central counties including
the White Mountains region remain around 20% areal coverage.

.PRECIPITATION:
Rainfall in September was above normal for most of the region, with
the exception of northern New Hampshire and northwest Maine where
moderate and severe drought conditions linger. Southern New
Hampshire and coastal Maine saw above normal rainfall.

________________________________________________________________
THE FOLLOWING TABLE SUMMARIZES MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL.

                         RAINFALL (INCHES)/DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
MONTH    Portland ME    Augusta ME    Concord NH   Manchester NH
------------------------------------------------------------------
JANUARY 2.27/-1.11     1.89/-0.72     1.89/-0.81    2.24/-0.78
FEBRUARY 2.90/-0.35    2.14/-0.29    2.72/+0.10    2.39/-0.39
MARCH    2.78/-1.46     1.95/-1.42     1.45/-1.82    1.57/-2.76
APRIL    3.45/-0.87     3.58/-0.21     2.86/-0.55    3.39/-0.47
MAY      2.27/-1.40     1.67/-1.60     2.99/-0.48    3.43/+0.05
JUNE     0.76/-3.39    0.70/-3.31    1.18/-2.59    1.50/-2.54
JULY    9.53/+6.10     6.62/+3.42     13.04/+9.42  10.61/+7.31
AUGUST    2.19/-1.38     1.12/-2.29   3.36/-0.27 5.11/+3.34
SEPTEMBER*4.25/+0.635.88/+2.123.93/+0.445.78/+2.19

TOTALS  30.50/-3.4725.55/-4.0733.53/+3.2932.95/+5.29
________________________________________________________________
*Through September 29


.HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS:
The stream and groundwater networks maintained by the United
States Geological Survey were used in this report.

.Surface water:
Rainfall deficits continued for the headwaters of the Penobscot,
Kennebec, Androscoggin, and Connecticut Rivers, where D0 to D2
conditions remain. Short term recharge was observed over portions
of the Kennebeck and Penobscot headwaters raising some area reservoirs
closer to normal levels.

For New Hampshire, the Connecticut River was showing below average
flows from the Sugar River confluence and northward. Downstream of
the point, flows are running near normal. Overall rivers in
southern New Hampshire are running well above normal, in central
New Hampshire they are near normal, and in northern portions of
the state they remain at or below the 30th percentile. Record low
streamflows have been observed in the upper Androscoggin.

.Groundwater and Water Storage (Lakes/reservoirs):
Geographically the areas impacted most by drought are in the headwaters
of the major watersheds in the region including the Kennebec,
Androscoggin, and Penobscot Rivers. The reservoirs in the Kennebec
and Penobscot did show some improvement with recent rainfall,
however the Androscoggin remains well below normal pool levels.

Groundwater well readings showed some response with levels rising
over central and southern Maine, however many are still well below
normal. Northern and western Maine continue to see very low
groundwater levels based on the few well stations in the area. In
New Hampshire, well levels remain below normal across the northern
part of the state, but wells in the southern portions of the
state are running above average.

NOTE: Groundwater levels remain below normal for most of the
region, a continuation from the drought of 2020.

.Soil Moisture:
Soil moisture levels showed some improvement across the region
when viewed over the last 7 days and last month. The evaporative
stress has dropped significantly since August with cooler and more
seasonable temperatures returning. Areas in drought continue to
see below normal soil moisture levels, but as the growing season
wanes so does water demand.

.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS:
Water Resources:
Dry wells have been reported in northern counties, notably in
Oxford and Franklin Counties.

Agricultural Conditions:
The USDA Farm Service Agency has received a Secretarial Disaster
Designation due to 8 weeks of continued severe drought conditions
in Maine. Refer to the USDA of Maine for more information.

.LOCAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK:
Over the next 2 weeks, the Climate Prediction Center predicts a
ridge over parts of the central U.S. and Canada, with the largest
above normal 500 hPa height anomalies predicted over the Hudson
Bay over the next 6 to 10 days. The eastward progression of this
ridge favors above normal temperatures and below normal
precipitation. For the 8 to 14 day outlooks the pattern is
expected to remain similar to the 6 to 10 day period, but become
less robust. Above normal temperatures and below normal
precipitation is expected through October 13. A transition from
ENSO neutral to La Nina is also favored for this winter, which can
influence U.S. weather patterns and subsequent precipitation.


.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE:

This product will be updated Friday October 14th or sooner if drought
conditions change significantly.

.RELATED WEB SITES:

Additional information on current drought conditions may be found
at the following web addresses:
US Drought Monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu
US Drought Information System: https://www.drought.gov
NOAA Drought Page: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Drought
Northeast Regional Climate Center:
http://www.nrcc.cornell.edu
New York State Climate Office:
http://nysc.eas.cornell.edu

Additional water and river information:
NWS: https://water.weather.gov
OWP: https://water.noaa.gov
US Geological Survey (USGS): https://water.usgs.gov
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): https://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.

.CONTACT INFORMATION:

If you have questions or comments about this Drought Information
Statement, please contact: sarah.jamison@noaa.gov

National Weather Service
1 Weather Lane
Gray ME 04039
Phone...207-688-3216

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National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
