After an exceptionally dry July, residents are seeing the effects in streams, gardens, and wells while forecasters warn that even a rainy weekend likely won’t end the drought.
Aug 22, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Elise N. Frank.
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—The U.S. Drought Monitor is looking for citizen reports of drought indicators.
That might be water a bit lower in a creek. It might be a yellow, parched lawn. It might be a well that is running (or has run) dry.
As of August 21, the latest drought status for Hancock County, Maine was moderate.
“We are also seeing severe drought conditions creeping up the coastline into parts of Downeast from Midcoast Maine,” the agency reports. “Widespread relief has been hard to come by. Broad swaths of central, eastern, and interior Downeast Maine have only received 25% to 75% of their normal precipitation over the last month. These persistent dry pockets are keeping the drought conditions locked in.”
According to the National Integrated Drought Portal approximately 886,100 Maine residents are currently in drought areas, which is a 5.3% increase from last week. Since 1895, July 2026 was the fourth driest on record for the state with an average of 2.06 inches of total precipitation. That’s 1.73 less than the typical July. Overall this is the 34th driest time between January and July since 1895 with 21.38 inches of total precipitation. This is a decrease of 2.28 inches from the the typical amount in that time period.
For Hancock County approximately 53,335 are impacted by the current drought, a 100% increase over last month and a 1.9% increase from last week. Only 2% of Hancock County residents aren’t impacted after its 7th driest July on record for 132 years.
Rain is forecast beginning Saturday afternoon and it has started to fall. It’s predicted to continue into the night and Sunday morning. The showers, according to the National Weather Service will eventually spread and there could be some heavy downpours in Downeast Maine, with a potential of 1-2 inches of rain.
“This multi-day rain event will be very beneficial for easing our ongoing drought conditions, but this is not a ‘drought busting’ rainfall,” the Weather Service explained in a post Saturday morning. “The cloudy, cool pattern moving in through early next week will allow moisture to soak effectively into the soils, though streamflows are still expected to remain below normal.”
What exactly does that mean for those of us in the Mount Desert Island region?
Without a decent amount of widespread rainfall, our groundwater levels and streamflows are impacted.
“Looking at the 14-day streamflow trends, the Penobscot and Downeast basins are struggling the most. The vast majority of river gauges in the Penobscot Basin are running below or much below normal, and all monitored gauges in the Downeast Basin are currently below normal,” according to the National Weather Service.
When in a moderate drought, typically: honey production declines; fire risk (for wildfires and ground fires) increase; fish and trees and gardens are stressed; the production of hay and grain decrease.
WAYS TO HELP VIA THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CARIBOU:
“Have you noticed any significant drought impacts, such as dried-up streams or struggling gardens, in your specific neighborhood recently?
“We Need Your Help!
“Your on-the-ground reports are incredibly valuable to us and the authors of the Drought Monitor! If you are experiencing dry wells, crop impacts, or unusually low water levels, please let us know.”
Submit a Local Drought Condition Report via CMOR: https://survey123.arcgis.com/…/850f937a1956425dab70cf3a…
View the Latest Drought Monitor here.
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