Drought in Interior Washington, Maine

Lack of precipitation during April throughout the southern and central parts of the state initiated concerns for crop and domestic water supplies. In Portland, April 1999 was the driest April ever recorded, with only 0.28 inches of precipitation during the month. This broke the old record of 0.71 inches in 1941 and was well below the normal precipitation for April of 4.08 inches. Bangor reported only 0.59 inches of precipitation for the month which was the driest April in the 74 years that records have been kept. During that period of record, Bangor's average April precipitation has been 3.21 inches. The dryness also led to an increase in the threat of forest fires across the southern and central part of the state.