The recent snowfall that buried the state this week might seem burdensome, but in terms of soothing drought conditions the winter weather is on track to bring some relief to the drought which has persisted for much of the last year, as long as the snowpack can melt at an absorbable rate come spring.
“If [winter] continues like this, it should relieve some of the issues,” Mark Bloomer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service station in Caribou, said. “It depends how much [moisture] is able to absorb into the ground.”
According to Bloomer, winter precipitation totals since Dec. 1 are nearly at, or slightly above, normal for much of the state. With another round of snow in the forecast, precipitation totals are slated to increase. The National Weather Service measures precipitation in a melted form. Using that standard Bangor has received 9.1 inches of precipitation this as of Dec. 1, about an inch and half higher than totals at this time last year.
Going into winter, the large portions of the state were still experiencing severe to moderate drought conditions. But according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report, drought conditions have improved slightly. The latest weekly report, released Feb. 9, lists only the southernmost part of York County under severe drought status. A large swath of southern, coastal and central Maine is classified as experiencing moderate drought conditions, while parts of Downeast and western Maine are listed as abnormally dry. The majority of Aroostook County is experiencing normal conditions.
With a lot of moisture being held in the snowpack, and frozen ground conditions, Bloomer said it will take some time for the moisture levels in the ground to respond to the precipitation the state has received. This ground should pick up moisture once the thaw begins next month, Bloomer said.
“Going into the spring and getting to the melt, that should see improvement,” Bloomer said. “It’s really going to take a while for the ground to respond, and the lakes and the rivers.”
The rate at which the snowpack melts will have an impact on the extent that drought conditions are relieved come spring, Bloomer said. While the snowfall received this winter is a boon for soothing dry conditions, if the melt happens too fast, runoff will occur before it the entirety of the accumulated water can be absorbed into the ground.
“Obviously all this moisture means it’s going to help ease the drought, but in order to really see how well it eases the drought, we have to see how, with the springtime, how quickly it melts,” he said.
Despite a precipitation laden winter, given weather’s uncertainty Cathryn Kloetzli, Agriculture and Food Systems Professional with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, recommends that farmers and gardeners go into the growing season with a knowledge of how to deal with drought effects, such as where to get water when on-site sources have gone dry and ways to cover soil to prevent it from drying out.
Given the dry wells and parched fields that many farmers faced as a result of the drought last year, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension recently compiled a list of resources to help farmers mitigate any drought-related programs they may face.
“Maine is a very water rich water state, and [a drought] is maybe not something that is one people’s radar,” Cathryn Kloetzli, said. “But because we have an uncertain climate, we wanted to just raise awareness to things that can be done to help.”
The list of resources ranges from what to do if a well runs dry, where to turn if a farm faces a hay shortage and information about crop insurance. Kloetzli said that the key things farmers should do going into the growing season on the heels of a major drought is to simply be prepared.
“We wanted people to be prepared to mitigate any possible damage in the future,” Kloetzli said. “This list was put together in direct response to the questions [our Cooperative Extension] offices were experiencing from the drought.”