Anita Stewart, of Portland, spreads mulch in her plot at North Street Community Garden on Nov. 2. Stewart, who has been gardening at the site for 10 years, acknowledged the region has been in a dry spell but said it could be worse. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

A rainy Thursday and Friday will bring some long-awaited moisture back to greater Portland, but it won’t be enough to fully alleviate drought conditions.

Portland has been in a dry period since the end of summer, with lower-than-average precipitation recorded for September, October and so far this month, said Hunter Tubbs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Gray.

Between September and Nov. 19, the city got 3.73 inches of precipitation – far less than the historic average of 11.85 inches during that period. The driest was in 1884, when that period saw just 3.62 inches.

“That puts us in second place, as of right now, for the driest stretch on record for those dates,” Tubbs said. “It’s impressive.”

Portland, like much of Maine, is expected to see rain materializing Thursday and lasting through Friday, bringing 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch of rain, Tubbs said, adding that there may also be rain off and on throughout the weekend.

“That’s not going to take us out of the drought, but it will put a dent into it,” he said. “We haven’t been exceptionally wet in some time.”

In addition to the rain, Maine is also expected to see temperatures start to fall back in line with typical fall patterns over the next week, with highs mostly in the 40s, Tubbs said.

The combination of lower temperatures, shorter days and wetter weather should help lower the fire risk, he said.