Maine Climate
Top 5 Cities: Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland, and Auburn
This month in numbers
Maine experienced a significantly warmer March 2026, with the average temperature ranking as the 25th warmest in 77 years of records, at -1.72°C, an anomaly of +1.4°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures were even more notable, ranking 16th warmest at 4.06°C, an anomaly of +1.5°C. Globally, April 2026 marked the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Looking at the January–March 2026 period, Maine recorded its 74th driest start to the year in 77 years of records, with precipitation at just 49.79 mm, a significant deficit of 24.6 mm. This places the region in the bottom 5 for precipitation over this three-month window. While Maine saw above-average temperatures for March, the broader national picture for the latest month shows a striking concentration of warmth, with all of the top 10 warmest 1-month anomalies being US states. Maine, however, sits at 146th of 234 regions for its 1-month anomaly, suggesting that while warmer than average, it wasn't as exceptionally warm as some other parts of the country.
What’s driving change?
The persistent drought conditions in Maine are a significant concern, with two drought events active in the past month, representing 100% of the annual total for this type of event, an unusual concentration for the region. Despite some improvements due to snowmelt and recent precipitation, deep moisture deficits remain, and groundwater levels in many monitoring wells reached period-of-record lows over the winter. This contributes to warmer conditions as the ground cannot cool itself through evaporation. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, though forecasts indicate a likely transition to El Niño by May-July 2026, with probabilities rising to 87% by July-September 2026. ENSO tracker. Additionally, a flood event was recorded in April 2026, representing 100% of the annual total for this type of event. Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The ongoing drought is expected to persist at least through June, and without consistent, soaking spring rains, groundwater levels could drop quickly again as vegetation reactivates.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Maine
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Maine changing?
Maine is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Maine come from?
Climate data for Maine comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Maine climate data cover?
The Maine climate profile covers Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland and surrounding areas. Maine climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Maine climate update refreshed?
The Maine climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.