Mainers are going to get the first big dose of rain in a long time.
The National Weather Service says a tropical disturbance and a low pressure system will combine to create moderate to heavy rain across the entire state.
Meteorologist Tom Hawley says the heaviest rain will run from Friday night into Saturday morning. He says the entire state should see 1 to 2.5 inches of rain before it ends early Sunday.
The rain is needed. The federal government says more than 1.2 million residents — nearly all of Maine’s population — are currently dealing with moderate to extreme drought conditions.
Drought expands
The latest report by the U.S. Drought Monitor says virtually the entire state ranges from moderate to extreme drought. A sliver of the state in far northern Maine and coastal Washington County is listed as “abnormally dry” but is not experiencing drought conditions.
The National Weather Service says the drought is currently expected to continue and expand.
Rainfall in York County through Oct. 1, 2016, has totaled 33 inches. That’s about 16 inches below normal.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less