The sun was out, and temperatures were creeping up Saturday morning after the remnants of Debby cleared central Maine.

Patio chairs are seen reflected in a puddle Friday on Water Street in downtown Gardiner. Central Maine dodged a possible deluge Friday as Hurricane Debby was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it worked its way up the East Coast. Winthrop recorded the most rainfall in the area, with 1.37 inches. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

While parts of the mid-Atlantic and western New England regions saw heavy rain, flooding and the risk of tornadoes as the remnants of Debby moved northeast, central Maine was largely spared from the storms’ impacts, aside from some rain Friday into Saturday.

From 8 a.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday, recorded rainfall included 1.37 inches in Winthrop, 1.11 inches in Augusta, 0.87 inches in Waterville, and 0.66 inches in Madison, according to Nikki Becker, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service regional office in Gray.

Farther south, Lewiston got 1.03 inches of rain and Gray got 0.54 inches.

“From the remnants of Hurricane Debby, we did not get that much,” Becker said Saturday morning.

Debby, which made landfall Monday in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and then hit land again Thursday in South Carolina as a tropical storm, was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone Friday as it moved up the East Coast, the National Hurricane Center said. At least nine deaths were related to Debby, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

Forecasters, though, were only expecting more significant impacts, like flooding, in the western part of Maine. The Maine Emergency Management Agency said in a social media post Thursday that the storm was expected to bring just a scattered risk of flooding in western Maine, as the storm’s track shifted.

On Saturday, it was expected to be warm and clear through much of the day. There was a small possibility of thunderstorms from central Maine through the Midcoast during the afternoon, Becker said Saturday morning.

That was good news for outdoor events in the region.

At the 206th Skowhegan State Fair, Friday night’s demolition derby went on despite light rain, and a full slate of events, from tractor pulls to live entertainment, was scheduled for Saturday. The fair, which got underway Thursday, typically draws about 100,000 visitors over its 10-day run, but the final tally depends on the weather, organizers said.

In Winslow, lovers of “all things blueberry” were at the Winslow Congregational Church on Lithgow Street for the 53rd annual Blueberry Festival on Saturday. And in Hallowell, participants competed at a first annual Scottish games event.

The clearing storm also coincides with what is expected to be the peak of the yearly Perseid meteor shower, visible from mid-July through the end August. The peak of the shower, which can bring up to 100 meteors per hour, is expected Sunday night into Monday morning, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The tower of the Olde Federal Building is reflected in a puddle Friday on Water Street in downtown Augusta. Central Maine dodged a possible deluge Friday as Hurricane Debby was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it worked its way up the East Coast. According to the National Weather Service in Gray, 1.11 inches of rain fell in the capital city overnight. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

On the whole, this summer has been drier than 2023, which was one of the wettest on record, according to the weather service.

In 2023, Augusta set a record with measurable precipitation on 52 days during the summer, said Becker, the Gray-based meteorologist. Total rainfall during the summer, June through August, came in at 17.36 inches — the third highest on record.

Since June of this year, 6.46 inches of rain have fallen in Augusta, not including any of Saturday’s precipitation, Becker said.

“It is quite a bit lower than last summer,” Becker said. “We’d have to have 10 more inches of rain in August to even come near last summer’s total. Less rainfall this summer — that would be the comparison.”

Looking forward, the National Weather Service’s long-range forecast calls for a 40% to 50% chance of above normal temperatures and a 33% to 40% chance of above normal precipitation for the month of August. The monthly outlook was issued July 31.

Forecasters are also expecting a “highly active” Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November. Debby was the fourth named storm of the 2024 season.

“It just depends on how many storms there are,” Becker said of how often tropical storms affect Maine. “Normally, at least one of them will make its way to affect us up here.”

In its mid-season updated outlook issued Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center updated the number of expected named storms to between 17 and 24, including eight to 13 hurricanes. NOAA anticipates four to seven hurricanes to be considered major.

That was similar to its initial prediction issued in May. A typical season brings 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, the Climate Prediction Center says.

Near-record sea surface temperatures and the possibility of the climate pattern La Niña are key factors, the outlook said.