After a soggy spring and a sodden fall, 2006 is proving to be one of the wettest years on record in Maine.

And there’s still a month and a half left.

“We can’t seem to get out of this rain,” said Art Lester, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. “We’re working on a pretty wet year.”

Since January, Portland has seen just over 56.5 inches of precipitation. Normal is 39.1 inches. That makes January-November 2006 the fourth wettest since record keeping began, according to Butch Roberts at the Weather Service.

Another 10 inches and 2006 will take the top spot as the wettest year, besting 2005, which holds the record at just under 66.5 inches.

New record or not, weather watchers say flooding may be an issue.

Rainfall in October was almost twice the normal amount, and November is proving even wetter. Portland normally gets just over 2.2 inches of precipitation during the first half of November, Roberts said. This year it’s gotten 4.5 inches.

All that rain has caused groundwater levels to rise, creating the kind of sloppy, muddy conditions usually associated with early spring’s mud season. Meteorologists say Maine may get another inch or two of rain tonight and tomorrow, which could cause streams and rivers to overflow.

“The ground is just saturated. It can’t take any more. That’s our biggest concern right now,” said Mark Belserene, disaster exercise coordinator for the Maine Emergency Management Agency.

So far, Lewiston and Auburn fire departments say they’ve gotten few requests to help with flooded basements.

Experts say there is some good news: With all the rain, wells tested in Brunswick, Oxford, Sanford and Litchfield are filled to record levels. Drinking water wells will be well-supplied for winter.