Weather change brings needed precipitation

PORTLAND – A storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of Maine reflects an apparent weather pattern change that signals more precipitation and some relief from the region’s prolonged drought.

Storms were bypassing Maine for most of the winter, moving either to the south or north and west. But the pattern shifted four to six weeks ago, allowing storms to tap into moisture from the south, said Tom Hawley, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

The weather forecast calls for that pattern to remain for at least another two weeks, with a chance of snow Tuesday and rain or snow later in the week.

“We need this kind of pattern to continue into the summer,” Hawley said.

The wet snow that fell Wednesday – the first day of spring – was equivalent to a half-inch to an inch of rain, he said.

Maine needs 4.5 to 7 inches of precipitation in a week to bring the drought index back to normal, he said. At the end of December, when the drought index bottomed out, Maine needed 9 to 10 inches of rain.

“We are still making small gains, but we still have a long way to go,” Hawley said.

For raising groundwater levels, snow is better than rain because it melts slowly and allows water to percolate into the ground, he said.

“It’s the winter storms that keep our groundwater recharged,” he said.

Residents who lost electric power or were forced to drive on messy roads may have seen Wednesday’s storm as a nuisance, but Mainers whose wells have run dry cheered as the snow piled up.

“When I see it snow or raining, I’m saying, ‘Come on, give me more, give me more, give me more,”‘ said Ron Muldowney of North Yarmouth, who’s been out of water since September.

Portland, which already recorded the warmest winter on record, was looking at the distinct possibility of a new record for lack of snow this season with only 24.9 inches of snow before the storm rolled through.

But the 5.6 inches that fell Wednesday night were enough to move this winter out of its last-place position. This winter is now the fourth-least snowy on record.

By storm’s end, Portland had 30.5 inches of snow for the season, which still is 34.4 inches below normal to date.