A “flash drought” in the southern half of Maine is reducing flows in some of the state’s biggest rivers.
Nick Stasulis, a supervisory scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said that in June, levels for waterways in the Androscoggin, Kennebec, Penobscot and other river basins were overall normal.
Hot and dry weather in July and the first couple weeks of August triggered a rapid drawdown in river flows, Stasulis said.
“We’ve had very warm temperatures and below normal precipitation. And anytime that happens, surface waters are going to suffer,” he said.
Basins that are regulated by dams are not as affected, and river levels are normal in Northern Maine, Stasulis added. Groundwater levels are also stable, he added.
Real-time monitoring data from the USGS shows that water flows, measured in discharges of cubic feet per second, range from below normal to extremely below normal across the state.
The rapid onset of abnormally dry conditions across Maine fits the definition of flash drought Stasulis said.
“In a month or two period where we’re seeing below normal soil moisture, lower than normal precipitation and above normal temperatures,” he said. “That’s what’s happening.”
Maine has seen some sort of abnormally dryness every year for the last decade and the current river levels are far from hitting record lows, Stasulis added.
Maine shifted from having almost no areas in a drought condition at the end of July, to about 35% considered abnormally dry last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
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