Drought in Interior Washington, Maine

Wells in the state continued to run dry during the month and crops wilted due to the lack of rainfall. Fire danger remained in the moderate to severe category for the month. One town, Castine, implemented mandatory water conservation measures. Fourteen of Maine's sixteen counties were declared disaster areas because of the drought. The United States Geological Survey reported that 6 ground-water monitoring wells were at record low levels for the month. By the end of August, precipitation since April 1 ranged from 2.5 to 7 inches below normal. The Palmer Drought Index was in the moderate to severe drought categories all month. Sixty daily record low flows were reported on Maine rivers during the month.