The days of bright blue skies with their crystal-clear views of mountains, lakes and ocean are gone, at least for a while. They were beautiful, but they brought with them one of the driest summers on record. They reminded some climate specialists of 1965, the driest year in Maine in the past century.

Down East and central Maine are short nearly a foot in precipitation from the average of 28 inches by this time. August and September have been exceptionally dry, says Dr. Greg Zielinski, the Maine State climatologist. A warm summer and a lot of evaporation have made the ground really hard, almost like concrete, so that rain tends to run off rather than soak in.

Fall colors probably will be duller than usual, says Mike Greenwood, professor of tree physiology at the University of Maine in Orono. Rain can help, he says, but if the drought continues the leaves could just turn brown and drop off. He won’t yet call it a crisis, but he says he has seen nothing like it in his 17 years on the job.

State Geologist Robert Marvinney says groundwater levels are as much as 4 feet below normal in this part of the state.

John Jamison, a university water specialist, says many dug wells have run dry or are close to it. Drilled wells when pumped dry take longer than usual to recover. He says the hay crop has pretty much failed, victim of drought and the army worm. The dairy industry faces winter short of feed in some areas.

Mr. Jamison says a foot of rain would be a big help. Six inches would do no more than wet up the soil and wouldn’t help the water table. And the rain must come before Thanksgiving, when frosts will keep water from penetrating. “We all like those crisp clear fall days, but I’m really hoping for some long periods of rain,” he said.