PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 20, 2025
Maine will need at least a foot of rain before the ground freezes to alleviate the monthslong drought that has been drying out all corners of the state. If that amount of rain doesn’t arrive soon, drought conditions will likely linger into the spring. Once soils freeze, precipitation can no longer effectively recharge aquifers, and drought conditions would persist until the snow melts in the spring. That could create problems for people whose wells are running low — or have already dried up — because precipitation that would normally replenish groundwater won’t soak in. So far this year, 410 dry wells have been reported across Maine. That’s more than the past four years combined.