Drought in Androscoggin County, ME: 1.9 years in 10 since 2000

1.9 years in 10

Androscoggin County, ME: 5 of 26 full years had 13+ weeks in drought. Less drought-prone than most US counties.

20002025

Drought years: 2001 (16 wk), 2002 (36 wk), 2016 (25 wk), 2020 (13 wk) and 2025 (30 wk). Not a single drought week in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2023.

A regular lawn is fine here; plan for the odd dry year

Real droughts are rare here. A smart controller that skips watering after rain covers the odd dry year.

You can keep a regular lawn. Worth doing: a rain-sensing or smart controller, and deeper, less frequent watering if Sep turns dry.

Against the rest of ME

12th most drought-prone of 16 ME counties; the ME middle is 2.3 in 10. Closest on the list: Washington County (2.3 in 10) and Kennebec County (1.9 in 10). Driest in ME: Knox County (3.1 in 10). Least drought: Penobscot County (1.5 in 10).

When in the year it hits

Most often in Sep (22% of weeks), then Oct (19%) and Nov (18%). Least in May (8%). May to September averages 14%.

15 Jan
12 Feb
8 Mar
10 Apr
8 May
9 Jun
12 Jul
17 Aug
22 Sep
19 Oct
18 Nov
16 Dec

The worst year: 2002

2002: 36 weeks in drought, peaking at D3 extreme. Across 1,401 weekly maps: 13.9% of all weeks at D1 or worse, 6% at D2, 1.3% at D3, never any D4. Longest unbroken spell: 44 weeks, Aug 12, 2025 to Jun 9, 2026.

Lately

Last drought year: 2025, 30 weeks. 2016-2025: 3 in 10, against 1.3 in 10 for 2000-2015, about the same. So far in 2026: 37 of 44 weeks in drought, through Nov 3, 2026.