Drought conditions continue to worsen in Maine with portions of southern coastal Maine now under extreme drought.

The section of extreme drought stretches from near Portland to Bar Harbor, while the entire state is now under at least moderate drought.

(Maine Drought Map as of September 17, 2026)

Some sections of Maine previously were not affected by any dry conditions and drought appeared to be receding from the state as recently as June.

Conditions changed when July turned out to be the second driest on record in Maine.

More than 1.3 million Mainers now live in drought areas.

Conditions are still better than last summer, when a large portion of the state was under extreme drought.

One year ago, more than 15 percent of the state was under the most severe condition of exceptional drought.

Maine experienced its most damaging drought between 1999 and 2002, during which an estimated 17,000 private wells ran dry, and farmers lost more than $32 million in crop yield.

More recently, Maine experienced significant droughts in both 2016 and 2020-2022, with widespread impacts to water supply, agriculture, and recreation.