It’s mid-July – prime summertime – but the weather gods have not been good to us here on Maine’s Down East coast. All week, it’s been foggy and/or rainy at least in the morning and sometimes most of the day.
Yesterday’s fog was gruel-thick at times, as you can tell from these images of the 125-foot-long schooner Mary Day leaving Great Cove in the morning, with tourists at the bow being unable to recognize tourists at the stern.
Naskeag Harbor was no better, as you can see from the image of the Town Dock:
Yet, our usually fertile soil remains dangerously dry. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, issued yesterday, showed that, as of July 13, most of Maine’s coastal counties continued to be “Abnormally Dry” and some in the State’s southwest corner actually were in “Severe Drought.” A good part of central Maine was reported to be in “Moderate Drought.” The Monitor is a federally supported report.
The temperatures in the first two weeks of July here often have ranged from uncomfortably chilly to uncomfortably clammy; the rain at times has hammered so hard that the deprived ground cannot absorb it well. If the trend continues, August could be a brutal disappointment.
This is not good for the “Vacationland” state that is famous for its grand summers and the nature lovers who come here to enjoy them, not to mention the fishermen and other outdoor workers who depend on them. It gives no solace to realize that it’s worse elsewhere. The Nation’s environment seems to be turning on its handlers like a dog that has been beaten so long it has nothing to lose. (Brooklin, Maine)