Name: Drought in Maine, June 1 to 30, 2026
Start: 2026-06-01T00:00
End: 2026-06-30T08:00
Location: Maine

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GYX wrote it up.

Throughout June 2026, Maine experienced short-term drought relief and widespread USDM footprint reductions. The improvements were driven by soaking rainfall events, though long-term subsurface deficits lingering from 2025 continued to impact deeper aquifers. Building on a remarkably wet May pattern, total drought coverage across Maine plummeted from a November 2025 peak of 72% Severe Drought (D2) down to just 7.9% total drought (D1 D2) by June 23. Widespread improvements reduced drought designations across northern, central, and western Maine as 30-day precipitation totals reached 100% to 200% of normal accumulation. Lingering Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) drought conditions, covering 7.4% and 0.5% of the state's geographic area respectively, were confined almost entirely to southwestern Maine and coastal regions. However, because these remaining dry areas overlapped with higher-density coastal and southern communities, approximately 23% of Maine's population (309,000 residents) remained within an active drought classification at the end of the month. While surface hydrology like topsoil moisture, local streamflows, and major reservoir levels experienced near-complete recovery, deep groundwater tables continued to lag behind, with several monitoring wells in southern coastal counties remaining in the below-normal category due to prolonged infiltration lag times.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 31, 6:34 PM EST, 5 hours 26 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

1. Low pressure brings showers and storms into the overnight hours tonight. 2. Some scattered showers remain possible on Monday, with highs generally in the 60s. 3. A warmup and mainly dry weather is expected Tue-Fri.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 6:34 PM EST, 5 hours 26 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Gray ME
734 PM EDT Sun May 31 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Most of the lightning and small hail activity has subsided as we
approach sunset, but scattered showers will likely continue
through the night. No major changes were needed for this update.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
1. Low pressure brings showers and storms into the overnight
hours tonight.

2. Some scattered showers remain possible on Monday, with highs
generally in the 60s.

3. A warmup and mainly dry weather is expected Tue-Fri.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1 DESCRIPTION...

Another low pressure system dives southward into New England
through the afternoon today and tonight. This one won't be as
organized or as strong as the one yesterday, but it brings with
it widespread showers and thunderstorms. These continue to
increase in coverage through the afternoon hours as colder air
moves in aloft. This colder air aloft also increases the chance
for heavier showers and storms to contain small hail, and bring
some gusty winds at times.

The coverage of the showers and storms decreases overnight, but
are likely to continue through the overnight hours near the low
pressure center. This center is expected to pivot through
southern Maine, and then slip offshore by the morning hours on
Monday.

KEY MESSAGE 2 DESCRIPTION...

As the low moves away, a period of relatively drier conditions
moves in for Monday. However, with cold air aloft following the
low, isolated pop up showers will be possible again by the
afternoon hours on Monday. Cool Canadian air follows the low,
yielding highs in the 60s across most of Northern New England.
Even where the most sunshine holds on through the day, mid 60s
look like the high end for temps tomorrow.

Skies clear tomorrow night as drier air moves in. This brings
another seasonably cool night, with lows dropping into the upper
30s to low 40s. A small area of high pressure passes through
early in the overnight. With all the recent rainfall, some
patchy fog will be possible tomorrow night through the valleys.
Clouds then increase toward morning as a weak trough pivots in
from the north.

KEY MESSAGE 3 DESCRIPTION...

The upper level troughing will lessen Tuesday as it gradually gets
replaced by short wave ridging by later in the day. This should
lessen coverage of diurnal showers and allow for warmer weather.
However, lingering cold air aloft working in tandem with weak
low level convergence should allow for widely scattered showers
and perhaps isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon,
especially on the coastal plain.

Overhead ridging with further strengthen on Wednesday and
Thursday with dry weather and highs in the 70s on Wednesday and
80s on Thursday.

Chances for showers increase some late Friday as a cold front
may begin to sag southward out of Canada. However, mainly dry
weather is expected with summer-like highs well into the 80s.
The threat may continue into Sunday depending on frontal
position.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Ceilings will mainly be in MVFR categories at most terminals
through the evening with scattered showers. Ceilings likely
fall to IFR at most terminals overnight, and then MVFR to VFR
returns with clearing skies Monday morning. Scattered showers
are possible tomorrow afternoon. VFR prevails tomorrow night,
but some valley fog is possible.

Outlook:

Tuesday: VFR with isolated showers possible on the coastal plain
in the afternoon. Light north winds becoming southerly on the
coastal plain during the afternoon.

Tuesday night: VFR expected.

Wednesday/Wednesday night: VFR with light winds.

Thursday/Friday: High pressure is favored with VFR conditions.

&&

.MARINE...
Conditions remain below SCA levels through Monday night. A weak
low pressure system tracks southeastward through the Gulf of
Maine late tonight and Monday morning. A small high pressure
system passes through tomorrow night.

Fair weather Tue-Fri with winds and seas remaining below SCA
thresholds.

&&

.GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ME...None.
NH...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...Clair/Ekster/Hargrove

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Coastal York

When: June 1, 12:00 AM EST to June 30, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Coastal York forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout June 2026, York County saw notable short-term drought relief, even as long-term groundwater concerns persisted. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the county began the month on June 2nd with 15.7% of its area in Severe Drought (D2) and 54% in Moderate Drought (D1). By June 30th, steady rainfall completely erased the Severe Drought (D2) classification, while Moderate Drought (D1) covered 65% of the county.|Precipitation for June averaged 4.65 inches across York County, roughly 1.00 inch above monthly norms. This built upon an exceptionally wet May, bringing the two-month rainfall total to 11.50 inches (about 4.25 inches above normal), which provided the region with the equivalent of an extra month of rain.|Despite these surface-level gains, the deep moisture deficit inherited from 2025 continued to suppress the water table. Groundwater recovery remained sluggish due to long infiltration lag times. For instance, while the monitoring well in Sanford demonstrated active surface recharge during the month, overall groundwater levels remained stalled below the 5th percentile.

Drought, Interior York

When: June 1, 12:00 AM EST to June 30, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Interior York forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Throughout June 2026, York County saw notable short-term drought relief, even as long-term groundwater concerns persisted. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the county began the month on June 2nd with 15.7% of its area in Severe Drought (D2) and 54% in Moderate Drought (D1). By June 30th, steady rainfall completely erased the Severe Drought (D2) classification, while Moderate Drought (D1) covered 65% of the county.|Precipitation for June averaged 4.65 inches across York County, roughly 1.00 inch above monthly norms. This built upon an exceptionally wet May, bringing the two-month rainfall total to 11.50 inches (about 4.25 inches above normal), which provided the region with the equivalent of an extra month of rain.|Despite these surface-level gains, the deep moisture deficit inherited from 2025 continued to suppress the water table. Groundwater recovery remained sluggish due to long infiltration lag times. For instance, while the monitoring well in Sanford demonstrated active surface recharge during the month, overall groundwater levels remained stalled below the 5th percentile.

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maine in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, June 2026

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1350770, 1350771.