Last year was Maine’s wettest year ever during the 128 years of recorded precipitation, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. And, as you see here in images from yesterday, our streamflows are at or above normal as they have been all winter. Soil moisture also appears to have been replenished fully after having gone through a moderate drought during the summer.
This, of course, is good news. However, it has to be tempered by the fact that much of the precipitation came from violent storms that carried with them their own, different problems, including flooding, property damage, and loss of power. Climate Change brings instability and extremes.
When it comes to Climate Change, the practical philosophy of “Saturday Night Live’s” Roseanne Roseannadanna seems to apply: “It just goes to show you, it’s always something! If it’s not one thing, it’s another!” Sorry, you have to be of a certain age to remember Roseanne, as played wonderfully by Gilda Radner. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on January 2, 2023.)