Severe drought rapidly expands into Northern Maine
Even with some rain over the last week extreme drought slowly expands.
Updated: 9:23 AM EDT Oct 23, 2025
The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released on Oct. 23, shows a rapid expansion of severe drought across much of Maine, now including northern areas of the state. Last week, severe drought covered 73% of the state; this week, 93% of Maine is experiencing severe drought.In our viewing area, extreme drought has increased slightly but has slowed overall. Statewide, 34% of Maine was in extreme drought last week, and that number has now risen to 36%.In Portland, we remain more than 2 inches below normal rainfall for the month of October, even though we’ve had some rain. A good soaking earlier this week will be reflected in next week’s U.S. Drought Monitor update, as the monitor closes its data collection on Tuesday mornings.For the year, Portland is still down about 8 inches of rain, despite a very wet winter and spring. Looking ahead, there are several chances for light rain in the evening hours over the next few days. However, mid-to-late next week could bring a more substantial rainfall event to help improve the drought situation. Still, another stretch of five dry days is not ideal given the current conditions.
Maine —
The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released on Oct. 23, shows a rapid expansion of severe drought across much of Maine, now including northern areas of the state. Last week, severe drought covered 73% of the state; this week, 93% of Maine is experiencing severe drought.
In our viewing area, extreme drought has increased slightly but has slowed overall. Statewide, 34% of Maine was in extreme drought last week, and that number has now risen to 36%.
In Portland, we remain more than 2 inches below normal rainfall for the month of October, even though we’ve had some rain. A good soaking earlier this week will be reflected in next week’s U.S. Drought Monitor update, as the monitor closes its data collection on Tuesday mornings.
For the year, Portland is still down about 8 inches of rain, despite a very wet winter and spring. Looking ahead, there are several chances for light rain in the evening hours over the next few days. However, mid-to-late next week could bring a more substantial rainfall event to help improve the drought situation. Still, another stretch of five dry days is not ideal given the current conditions.