After two years of watching and waiting, scientists have finally declared the drought in Maine finished – though the state’s groundwater levels are still recovering from the extremes of 2001, they said. The dry spell officially ended within the past few weeks, said Hendricus Lulofs,… Read More
PORTLAND – The recent rains are making it wet, but the entire state of Maine is still abnormally dry or in drought conditions. Even with rain falling every day for the past week in places, precipitation is off, river flows are low up north, and… Read More
MILLINOCKET – For the third straight year, Great Lakes Hydro America is conserving water so its massive storage system on the West Branch of the Penobscot River won’t run out later this year. The drought that began in 2001 continues to plague the West Branch… Read More
Potato farmers are praying for warm, sunny winds to melt the lingering snow and dry the fields for spring planting, but, technically, northern Maine remains in a drought. The federal government’s national drought monitor for this week on the Internet categorized the northeastern part of… Read More
Despite normal precipitation over the last few months, Maine’s drought is continuing into its 19 month. Although the drought isn’t as bad as it was a year ago, experts at the U.S. Geological Survey are predicting groundwater levels in most of the state will be… Read More
DEXTER – A young Dexter family won’t soon forget a spring day five months ago, when the mother of two small children turned her kitchen faucet on and nothing came out. Dennis and Terry Magnant had joined the ranks of thousands of people statewide affected… Read More
AUGUSTA – No end is in sight to the two-year drought that has depleted groundwater supplies, drying up many of the state’s wells. The entire state is currently in a moderate drought, and conditions have become more severe over the last several weeks, Maine’s Drought… Read More
Record-low rainfall in August has worsened drought conditions across Maine, the U.S. Geological Survey said Monday. Water conditions are now similar to those during the late summer and early fall last year, according to the report. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Potato farmers, apple growers and vegetable harvesters will be watching the sky this weekend, hoping predictions of rain will ease the need for irrigation and save some late crops. However, state officials are saying it is already too late for both the sweet… Read More
PORTLAND – With Maine’s drought now in its 16th month, some public water systems are appealing to customers to conserve by not watering lawns or flowers. Drought alerts were sent to thousands of water users in the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Wells Water District. The Boothbay… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine’s climate is at a crossroads. Just a few inches of rain – three at the state’s heart, and six in the dry southern and coastal regions – could pull Maine out of the moderate drought that has lingered all summer. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
WASHINGTON – The drought that has struck many areas of the country is cutting into corn, soybean, cotton and wheat production this year, but the losses are not likely to lead to higher consumer prices anytime soon. In its latest forecast Monday, the Agriculture Department… Read More
PORTLAND – The drought that led to dry taps in hundreds of homes across Maine has been slow to relinquish its grip in parts of Maine, and dry weather in June and July hasn’t helped matters. With ground conditions getting drier by the day, the… Read More
Maine not free of drought as hot, dry summer looms Rainfall only 2 inches above normal since January
Meteorologists are predicting unbroken blue skies and soaring temperatures for the next several weeks – that’s the good news. The bad news lurking behind the sunshine is that Mainers would be better off with a little rain falling on their Independence Day parades. In short,… Read More
MILLINOCKET – With talk of drought this spring, the 90,000 people who raft the rapids on Maine’s rivers each summer have one question on their minds: Will there be enough water? Increasingly, Matt Polstein, owner of New England Outdoor Center in Millinocket, is able to… Read More
A little more than a week after Gov. Angus King asked the president for federal disaster assistance to help cope with drought conditions, the state’s water situation appears markedly improved. Several recent heavy rainstorms have refilled some lakes and streams, while many wells are returning… Read More
When Philip deMaynadier hears bells, he knows that spring has arrived. Each April, the state wildlife biologist takes evening walks through the woods to listen for the song of the spring peepers, which he likens to the chiming of thousands of sleigh bells, and for… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – Despite significant rain that has fallen across Aroostook County this week, the benefits to the 2002 potato crop were still a mystery Thursday. “We’re in decent shape to put a crop in the ground,” Donald Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato… Read More
OTIS – A rare population of fish that inhabit Bangor’s drinking water reservoir at Flood’s Pond could be facing extinction, if not for actions taken by biologists a decade ago. Flood’s Pond in Hancock County is the only known lake worldwide where a native population… Read More
Humans struggling to cope with the worst drought in Maine’s history might take a lesson on adaptability from the state’s wildlife. Scientists are surprised to report that Maine’s black bears seem to be weathering food shortages with no ill effect and have produced a healthy… Read More
While many states up and down the East Coast have declared drought emergencies and mandated reduced water usage, officials in Maine have shied away from calling for conservation measures even though experts say the upcoming summer is shaping up to be drier than last summer. Read More
CHESUNCOOK VILLAGE – Despite the Monday start of open water fishing season, one of the state’s great wilderness lakes remains 25 feet below its normal water levels. Chesuncook Lake, a sprawling body of water on the West Branch of the Penobscot River, has one of… Read More
Although the wet, heavy snow that fell Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning may not have been welcomed by those tired of shoveling walkways and scraping off cars, the precipitation brought a bit of good news to the state’s drought watchers. The rain and snow… Read More
BANGOR – In hopes of getting more financial assistance for Mainers who are without water, the state is preparing to ask for a federal emergency disaster declaration because of the continuing drought, state officials told Sen. Olympia Snowe on Monday. Such a declaration from the… Read More
PORTLAND – Mainers’ stoic and independent spirit is hampering the state’s attempt to win federal disaster relief for the drought, according to emergency management officials. State officials have the names of only 163 people whose private wells have gone dry after more than six months… Read More
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… Read More
The drinking fountain covered in plastic wrap in the front hallway was the first sign that something was amiss at the Exeter School. The small elementary school near Dexter is one of 11 schools statewide to have lost its water supply or have it drastically… Read More
BANGOR – While a family of four may use 150 to 200 gallons of water per day, a typical 100-cow dairy farm uses about 5,000 gallons each day. “Farmers are very frugal and thus mindful of conserving water,” said David Lavway, state director for the… Read More
AUGUSTA – The news about Maine’s drought conditions just keeps getting worse. Not only did it not snow much this winter, but the flakes that did fall were dry and largely have melted in many areas of the state, members of the state’s Drought Task… Read More
Drought has engulfed nearly a third of the United States, threatening to confront some places this summer with what experts say could be their worst water shortages in years. “This is a sleeping giant,” says climatologist Mark Svoboda, at the National Drought Mitigation Center in… Read More
NORTHWOOD, N.H. – Until recently, Robert Madison didn’t worry much about his water well. The 20-foot-deep well provided just enough for his family of 12. Then it, and much of the East, began to dry up. Since last summer, the Madison family has had to… Read More
NEW YORK – Baltimore’s reservoirs are so low the city plans to tap the Susquehanna River for drinking water despite complaints about its iron taste. Rivers in Maine have been reduced to a trickle. And in New Hampshire, many of the frozen waterfalls that draw ice-climbing tourists haven’t… Read More
AUGUSTA – It’s official – 2001 was by far the driest year recorded in Maine, the only state in the nation to have a record dry year, according to figures presented to the state’s drought task force on Wednesday. The state received only 29 inches… Read More
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The ongoing drought is dropping the level of Lake Champlain. It remained at its lowest level in 30 years early Monday, at 93.74 feet above sea level. That’s well below the average January lake level of 96.23 feet above sea level. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Continued snowfall and some moderate spring rain would help relieve drought conditions that prevail in Maine, but what the state really needs is the return of normal weather conditions, according to a U.S. Geological Survey official. Two recent snowstorms were beneficial, but the… Read More
CASTINE – There should be a little more water available next summer to the village residents of Castine. The town has won approval from two sources for the funds to build a filtration facility, which will allow the municipal water system to draw water from… Read More
BELMONT – Usually at this time of year, well driller Doug Cross spends his days in the shop getting his trucks and equipment ready for spring. But with a drought that has caused hundreds of Maine wells to run dry, Cross and his crew are… Read More