Severe drought (D2) was introduced across the northern half of Maine following a few tenths of an inch of precipitation last week and slowly deteriorating surface moisture conditions. Similarly, declining streamflows led to moderate drought (D1) expansion through northern sections of New Hampshire and adjacent Vermont. Farther south, the trend observed periodically over the past several months continues, with coverage of abnormal dryness and moderate drought (D0-D1) continuing to slowly erode. Moderate drought was removed from southeastern New Hampshire while D0 was pulled out of south-central New Hampshire, parts of Delaware and southeastern Maryland, and Lower Southern Maryland. Despite a few episodes of heavy precipitation over the past several weeks, D1 is maintained in northeastern and southeastern sections of Massachusetts due to several wells showing near-record-low groundwater levels and quickly-declining streamflows noted in the wake of heavy precipitation events, suggesting the moisture budget remains deficient beyond surface to root zone moisture.

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