Drought Information Statement for Northern and Eastern Maine Valid April 23, 2026 Issued By: WFO Caribou, ME This product will be updated by April 30, 2026 or sooner, if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/car/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/car for regional drought status updates. Maine’s drought improving slowly thanks to recent rainfall & ground frost thawing. The short-term recovery in streamflow and groundwater is far from a reversal of long term drought trend. Despite any minor improvements to drought classifications this spring, the outlooks suggest that the overall drought trajectory could worsen again in the warm season unless precipitation overperforms. **U.S. Drought Monitor** Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Maine * D0: (Abnormally Dry): 14.11% * D1 (Moderate Drought): 63.85% * D2 (Severe Drought): 22.04% * D3 (Extreme Drought): 0% * D4 (Exceptional Drought): 0% **Drought Intensity and Extent:** * D2 (Severe Drought): Far southwest Penobscot County. * D1 (Moderate Drought): All of Hancock & Washington counties. Southern and central Penobscot, far southern & western Aroostook, much of Piscataquis and northern Somerset counties. * D0: (Abnormally Dry): Eastern Aroostook, northern Penobscot and far northeast Piscataquis counties. **Recent Change in Drought Intensity** Link to the latest 1-month change map for Northeast U.S. Four week drought monitor class change: * Drought Worsened: No Areas. * Drought Improved: Much of Northern Maine, Southern Penobscot county and much of Hancock county. * No Change: Eastern St. John Valley, Much of Piscataquis county, Central Penobscot county, all of Washington county. **Short & Long Term Drought Index** Link to the Maine Drought.gov Maps: www.drought.gov/states/maine The Short-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index (MIDI) estimates current short-term drought conditions by combining several indicators of drought into a single, map from changes in precipitation and moisture over the past 3 months. Short term drought conditions indicate improvements based on spring recharge. The Long-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index (MIDI) estimates current long-term drought conditions by combining several indicators of drought into a single, map from changes in precipitation and moisture over the past 5 years. This experimental map is based on methodology from the NOAA National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. **30 Day Precipitation** Precipitation has been near to above normal across Northern Maine to Moosehead Region. Below normal precipitation for southern Central Highlands, Greater Bangor region, Downeast into far Southern Aroostook county. Link to Northeast Regional Climate Center **Precipitation Deficits** Prolonged precipitation deficits for a year across much of the area. Worst deficits are in the St. Croix River Basin. Continued significant deficits since January 1, 2026. Significant improvements across portions of the North Woods and western St. John Valley. Link to Iowa State University IEM Since June 1, 2025 Since January 1, 2026 **30 Day Temperatures** Link to Northeast Regional Climate Center 30 Day Temperatures have been running 1-3 degrees below normal across Northern Maine. Temperatures generally near normal to 2 degrees above normal for the rest of Central & Downeast Maine. Average temperatures have been above 32°F for all areas except far Northern Maine. **Snowpack & Snow Water Equivalent** Link to National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) Remaining snow is mainly in cold forested areas of Northern Maine, St. John River basin and higher elevations of Baxter State Park. Snowpack & snow water equivalent is below normal across the entire area. **Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts** * Northern Basins: Normal to Above Normal. * Central Highlands, Moosehead & Baxter Regions: Below Normal. * Downeast to Bangor Basins: Below Normal. * Areawide Trends: Expect flows to continue slowly fall. St. John River @ Fort Kent Riverside Park Courtesy: Fort Kent Parks & Rec Dept Taken: 4/19/2026 St. John River @ Fort Kent Fort Kent / Clair, NB Int’l Bridge Courtesy: Lee Dubois Taken: 4/19/2026 **Groundwater** The prolonged drought has left moisture deficit in the deeper soils across Central Highlands, Bangor Region, Downeast and portions of Eastern Aroostook County. Across the far north as the frost fully thaws, capillary action will draw moisture downward from the topsoil to fill these deeper voids, essentially robbing the surface layer of its recent gains. Image Captions: USGS Groundwater Gauge Status Soil Moisture Percentile 0-200cm Depth Below Normal Above Normal Soil Depth: Surface to ~79” The short-term recovery in groundwater is a temporary fluctuation rather than a reversal of the long term drought trend. **Groundwater Gage Plots** USGS Groundwater Levels in New England: https://newengland.water.usgs.gov/web_app/GWW/GWW.html Significant groundwater improvements at many locations. There remains below normal conditions across the Central Highlands and Bangor Region. Will need to monitor as we approach “green up”. **Rainfall Needed to “End the Drought”** Steady, light-rain events with high absorption rates are ideal Ground frost remains in the northernmost regions of the forecast area. Thawing will continue with the increasing sun angle and warm daytime temperatures. These values slowly continue to fall which is a sign of improvement. Around 5” / 140% of Normal Around 9” / 220% of Normal Around 10” / 255% of Normal Around 8.5” / 110% of Normal Around 12” / 155% of Normal Around 14” / 180% of Normal **Summary of Impacts** Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter * **Hydrologic Impacts** The majority of the streamflows across the area remain “near normal” to “below normal” (USGS) Lakes & ponds, although ice covered in northern areas, are ranging from above normal to below normal water levels. * **Dry Drinking Water Wells** No new dry well reports in April, will monitor as we approach “green up”. Maine EMA Dry Well Survey: https://maine-dry-well-survey-maine.hub.arcgis.com/ * **Mitigation Actions** Conserve water and follow directions from local officials. * **Flood Threats** Flood Threat remains below normal across all of Northern and Eastern Maine with near normal to below normal flows. See the latest Winter/Spring Flood Outlook Here. **Long Range Outlooks (May)** The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 1 Month Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 1 Month Precipitation Outlook. Valid Apr 16, 2026 Main Takeaways for April: No significant signal for above/below normal temperatures in the state. No significant signal for above/below normal precipitation in the state. Pattern Outlook ENSO Neutral conditions in place with an El Niño expected to develop as we approach Meteorological Summer. We continue to monitor shorter term subseasonal patterns that control the forecast. May remains a transitional season so no significant signals for precipitation and temperatures. **Long Range Outlooks (May-July)** The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Image Captions: Left - Climate Prediction Center 3 Month Temperature Outlook. Right - Climate Prediction Center 3 Month Precipitation Outlook. Valid Mar 19, 2026. Main Takeaways for Feb-Apr: Weak signal for above normal temperatures in the state. No significant signal for above/below normal precipitation in the state. Pattern Outlook ENSO Neutral conditions in place with an El Niño expected to develop as we approach Meteorological Summer. We continue to monitor shorter term subseasonal patterns that control the forecast. May remains a transitional season so no significant signals for precipitation and temperatures. **Main Takeaways** Bottom Line: Categorical improvements may appear until green up due to surface condition recovery, however long-term drought persistence is the favored outlook for the 2026 warm season. * Full aquifer recovery is unlikely this spring. * Groundwater trends continue to slowly improve. Recent rain and snowmelt has saturated the top layer of soil, increased streamflows and reservoir levels, and slightly buoyed shallow groundwater levels. * Outlook: Despite these improvements in water levels, the long-term prognosis remains concerning * Spring recharge is on trajectory to finish below climatological normals for much of the Central Highlands to Downeast Maine, with the recharge window due to snow mostly closed due to early snow losses in the headwaters. * The prolonged drought has left a severe moisture deficit in the deeper soils and groundwater. As any frost fully thaws, moisture will be drawn downward from the topsoil to fill these deeper voids, essentially robbing the surface layer of its recent gains. * Once green-up occurs, plants will begin actively pumping water from the soil. This demand coupled with the deep-layer deficits could rapidly reduce topsoil moisture. * Repeating wetting rains through May will be vital to sustain soil moisture, otherwise evaporative losses will dominate. Stakeholders should prepare for a potential flash drought scenario where topsoil moisture dissipates rapidly once the canopy fills in. * Long Term Drought Persistence is expected into the warm season. **Contact Information** Web www.weather.gov/car Phone (public) (207) 492-0182 Questions? Email nws.caribou@noaa.gov james.sinko@noaa.gov (Hydrology Program Manager) **Useful Links** * https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements * https://www.weather.gov/car/DroughtInformationStatement * https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/car * https://www.weather.gov/car/EMhome * https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/