Drought — Northern Oxford, Maine

2025-11-01 to 2025-11-30 · Northern Oxford, Maine

Event narrative

Oxford County averaged 2.78 inches of precipitation in November, approximately 1.5 inches below normal. The rainfall deficits carried over from summer grew above 5 inches, making it the 5th driest stretch between July through November on record. While most of the county was classified under Severe Drought (D2), southern portions of the county frequently reached Extreme Drought (D3) levels. The USDM on November 25th had 23% of the county in Moderate Drought (D1) and 77% of the county in Severe Drought (D2). On November 21, 2025, the USDA officially designated Oxford County as a Primary Natural Disaster Area. By November, the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) reported that Oxford County led the state in dry well submissions. At one point, nearly 20% of all dry well reports in Maine originated from Oxford County alone. Unlike surface water, which saw minor improvements from November rains, the county's deep aquifers continued to decline. One monitoring station in Oxford showed a steady, uninterrupted decline in groundwater levels from August through late November. Local emergency management offices and 211 Maine were heavily utilized by residents seeking bottled water or assistance in locating well-drilling services, which saw months-long backlogs. Local orchards and row-crop farms reported stunted growth and reduced yields. Agricultural experts warned that the lack of moisture in November would likely cause die-back in perennial fruit crops, impacting the 2026 harvest.

Wider weather episode

November 2025 brought modest improvements to Maine's drought conditions, primarily driven by the transition into cooler weather and a significant reduction in vegetative water demand. While soil moisture levels showed the most notable gains, the region's hydrological recovery was hindered by another month of below-normal precipitation. Consequently, despite some localized relief, a large area of severe drought persisted, and streamflows and groundwater levels continued to struggle.

The arrival of wintry weather and colder air introduced the season's first widespread snowfall, with most of the state recording at least an inch and higher accumulations in the mountains. However, actual precipitation fell short of expectations; coastal regions received only 50-60% of their normal totals, while only the mountainous areas saw near or above-average moisture. Although there were broad improvements in the extent of extreme drought throughout the month, substantial long-term deficits remain. While November brought some surface-level relief from rainfall and early snow, groundwater levels remained below normal to much below normal. Because groundwater recharges more slowly than surface water, many private wells remained dry or critically low. It was estimated that an additional 6 to 12 inches of precipitation was still required to fully restore soil moisture and replenish depleted groundwater reserves.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1300363. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.