Why this section of Maine’s coast has been hit hardest by a 2-year drought

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 15, 2026

For the second season in a row, national drought monitoring maps have turned increasingly dire shades of orange in an arc around Maine’s midcoast and Penobscot Bay, stretching up to the Bangor area. Where drought intensifies, plants, pollinators, wildlife and people struggle, and over time groundwater supplies drop. Two major weather factors have contributed to more intense drought conditions along the midcoast and Penobscot Bay area for the last two drought seasons. The effects of cooler air off the Gulf of Maine that stops rain from forming along the coast, while the jet stream nudged storm systems onto different tracks, diverting rain away from coastal Maine.