Pedestrians walk across Hanover Street as a kayaker floats in the water after Tropical Storm Elsa moved through the state Friday, July 9, 2021 in Meriden, Conn. The fast-moving storm Elsa lashed New York City and New England with heavy rain and high winds Friday, flooding streets, toppling trees and hindering some rail service. (Aaron Flaum/Record-Journal via AP)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The drought is receding in northern New England but part of northwestern Maine and a sliver of northern New Hampshire continue to be in the category of a “severe drought,” officials said Thursday.

Virtually all of Maine’s coast is now in the normal range after heavy rain in July, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“We’re slowly headed the right way,” said Margaret Curtis, meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

Concord, New Hampshire, has recorded more than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain this month, breaking the all-time record for July, while Portland, Maine, is currently ranked fourth for rainfall in July, she said.

A big contributor to the rainfall was Tropical Storm Elsa, which dumped 4 inches of rain across parts of the region.