August Climate Review for Northern and Eastern Maine

...AUGUST 2024 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM AROUND NORMAL TO 0.5 
DEGREES (F) ABOVE THE 30-YEAR 1991-2020 NORMALS NEAR BANGOR AND IN 
DOWNEAST AREAS. TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND 1 TO 2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL 
FOR THE MONTH IN THE NORTH. IN CARIBOU, IT WAS THE 8TH WARMEST 
AUGUST SINCE RECRODS BEGAN IN 1939. SEVEN OF THE 10 WARMEST AUGUSTS 
IN CARIBOU HAVE OCCURED SINCE 2010. ELSEWHERE, TEMPERATURES FOR 
AUGUST 2024 FELL OUTSIDE THE TOP 10 WARMEST ON RECORD.

IN CARIBOU, THERE WERE 9 DAYS IN AUGUST WHERE THE HIGH TEMPERATURES 
REACHED OR EXCEEDED 80 DEGREES. THIS INCLUDED A HIGH OF 90 DEGREES 
ON THE 2ND. BAGNOR RECORDED 13 DAYS OF 80 DGREES OR GREATER. THE 
WARMEST TEMPERATURE THERE WAS 91 DEGREES ON THE 2ND. MILLINOCKET SAW 
12 DAYS WITH HIGHS OF AT LEAST 80 DEGREES, WITH A HIGH OF 91 DEGREES 
ON THE 2ND. HOULTON SAW 10 DAYS REACH AT LEAST 80 DEGREES, BUT NO 90 
DEGREE DAYS. THESE NUMBERS ARE NEAR AVERAGE FOR ALL LOCATIONS FOR 
THE MONTH OF AUGUST.

RAINFALL VARIED ACROSS THE REGION IN AUGUST. THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 
AND SOUTHEASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY SAW ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF NORMAL 
RAINFALL. THE CROWN OF MAINE SAW AROUND 100 PERCENT OF NORMAL 
RAINFALL, WHEREAS BANGOR AND DOWNEAST SAW 110 TO 140 PERCENT OF 
NORMAL RAINFALL. THE TOTAL MONTHLY EVAPORATION IN CARIBOU WAS 3.27 
INCHES, COMPARED TO A MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTAL OF 3.63 INCHES. NOWHERE 
IN THE REGION WAS IN ANY DROUGHT CATEGORY AT ANY TIME DURING AUGUST.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENT FOR THE BANGOR REGION AND 
DOWNEAST MAINE CAME ON THE 9TH, WITH THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM 
DEBBY. 1.5 TO 2.5 INCHES FELL IN THESE AREAS. IN NORTHERN AREAS, THE 
MOST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENT CAME ON THE 19TH AND 20TH. TOTALS 
RANGED FROM AROUND 1.0 INCH NEAR CARIBOU UPWARDS TO 2.5 INCHES IN 
THE NORTH WOODS. VERY LITTLE SEVERE WEATHER OCCURED DURING AUGUST.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 
2024 INDICATES THAT THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE 
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE NO STRONG SIGNALS THAT WOULD POINT 
TOWARD ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION. AVERAGE HIGH 
TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE LOW TO MID 70S AT THE START OF THE MONTH, 
DROPPING TO THE LOWER TO MID 60S BY THE END OF THE MONTH. AVERAGE 
LOWS DROP FROM THE LOWER 50S EARLY IN THE MONTH TO THE LOWER 40S BY 
THE END OF THE MONTH. FROST BECOMES AN INCREASING THREAT DURING THE 
MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN VALLEYS IN THE SECOND 
HALF OF THE MONTH. ALTHOUGH VERY RARE, SNOW HAS BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS 
FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION LATE IN THE MONTH. THE CHANCES 
OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DECREASES RAPIDLY DURING THE MONTH. 
SEPTEMBER IS THE MONTH WHERE A TROPICAL SYSTEM OR THE REMNANTS OF A 
TROPICAL SYSTEM IS MOST LIKELY TO AFFECT THE AREA.

Images Courtesy of the Northeast Regional Climate Center