Drought — Northern Franklin, Maine

2025-12-01 to 2025-12-31 · Northern Franklin, Maine

Event narrative

Franklin County averaged 2.31 inches of precipitation in December, approximately 1.5 inches below normal. The cumulative rainfall deficit since July grew to over 7.5 inches, marking the 5th driest July through December stretch on record. The USDM on December 30th showed 40% of the county in Moderate Drought (D1) and 60% in Severe Drought (D2), with the southern portion of the county nearing Extreme Drought (D3) thresholds. Rural residents, especially those with shallow dug wells, faced critical shortages as the water table failed to recover before the ground froze. Flows in the Sandy and Carrabassett Rivers remained at or below the 10th percentile, continuing to threaten local aquatic habitats.

Wider weather episode

December 2025 brought little relief to Maine's drought conditions, as winter took hold and frozen ground effectively halted any potential for significant groundwater recharge. While seasonal snowfall provided a surface-level coating across the state, the moisture content of the snowpack remained below normal and insufficient to offset the substantial long-term deficits carried over from the summer and autumn. Hydrological recovery remained at a standstill, with streamflows below normal, particularly in the coastal basins. Consequently, severe to extreme drought conditions persisted across southern and central Maine, with the number of failing private wells continuing to rise. By late December, it was estimated that an additional 8 to 14 inches of liquid precipitation was still required to fully restore soil moisture and replenish the state's depleted groundwater reserves.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1301960. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.