70% of Maine is in drought conditions, water monitoring officials say.
Somerset and parts of Franklin county are experiencing a severe drought, and everything below Aroostook county is in a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Ryan Gordon, a hydrogeologist with Maine Geological Survey says the state had less precipitation in the winter and spring.
"There was a smaller snowpack this spring and it melted earlier. Since then, we just have not had a lot of precipitation. We're missing about seven inches of precipitation compared to normal in the southern part of the state," Gordon says.
Gordon says the next couple of weeks are expected to be dry, and although there are some showers in the forecast, it's not enough to get the state out of drought conditions.
The state's drought task force has been meeting since April to prepare for the drought, and they say this year may be drier than last summer.
