August 2023 Climate Review for Northern and Eastern Maine

...NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE AUGUST 2023 CLIMATE MONTHLY SUMMARY...

AUGUST 2023 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR COOLER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
AND WELL ABOVE AVERAGE RAINFALL.

AFTER THE WARMEST JULY ON RECORD IN CARIBOU AND A TOP 4 WARMEST JULY
ON RECORD AT THE OTHER LONG TERM CLIMATE SITES, AUGUST WAS MUCH
COOLER ACROSS THE REGION WITH TEMPERATURES THAT AVERAGED FROM 1 TO
2.5 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE.

IN CARIBOU, THERE WERE NO 80 DEGREE DAYS THE ENTIRE MONTH.  THE ONLY
OTHER TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED SINCE WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1939 WAS
BACK IN 1972.  ON AVERAGE, CARIBOU OBSERVES 8 DAYS WITH A HIGH OF
80F OR WARMER DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST.  IN BANGOR THERE WERE 7
DAYS WITH A HIGH OF 80F OR WARMER, AND THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE ALL
MONTH WAS 84F. TYPICALLY BANGOR OBSERVES 16 DAYS DURING THE MONTH OF
AUGUST WITH A HIGH OF 80F OR WARMER.

RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION THIS PAST AUGUST WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE
AND RANGED FROM 150 TO 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL, AND WAS SPREAD OUT
FAIRLY EVENLY ACROSS THE MONTH. IN CARIBOU IT RANKED AS THE 6TH
WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD WITH 6.60 INCHES OF RAIN. IN BANGOR IT
RANKED AS THE 5TH WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD WITH 6.22 INCHES OF
RAIN. ALTHOUGH NOT AN OFFICIAL CLIMATE SITE DUE TO THE SHORT
PERIOD OF RECORD, FRENCHVILLE OBSERVED 6.98 INCHES OF RAIN MAKING
IT THE WETTEST AUGUST SINCE PRECIPITATION RECORDS BEGAN IN 1998.

THE AUGUST 2023 TOTAL PAN EVAPORATION OF 2.38 INCHES AT CARIBOU
WAS MUCH LESS THAN RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION, MEANING SOILS
BECAME INCREASINGLY MOIST. THERE WERE SOME FIELDS AT THE END OF
THE MONTH THAT HAD PATCHES OF STANDING WATER. STREAMFLOWS ACROSS
MOST OF THE REGION WERE ABOVE TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE AT THE END OF
THE MONTH.

THERE WAS LITTLE SEVERE WEATHER IN JUNE AND JULY, AND AUGUST HAD THE
MOST REPORTS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OF ANY MONTH THIS SUMMER.  ON
AUGUST 13TH THERE WERE SEVERAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT KNOCKED
DOWN TREES AND PRODUCED LARGE HAIL IN PORTIONS OF AROOSTOOK,
PISCATAQUIS, AND PENOBSCOT COUNTIES.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER
2023 INDICATES THAT THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE NO STRONG SIGNALS THAT WOULD POINT
TOWARD ABOVE OR BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION. AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE LOW TO MID 70S AT THE START OF THE MONTH AND
DROP TO THE LOW TO MID 60S BY THE END OF THE MONTH. AVERAGE LOWS
DROP FROM THE LOW 50S EARLY IN THE MONTH TO THE LOW 40S BY THE END
OF THE MONTH. FROST BECOMES AN INCREASING THREAT DURING THE MONTH OF
SEPTEMBER, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN VALLEYS DURING 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 DROPS OFF RAPIDLY DURING THE MONTH.
SEPTEMBER IS THE MOST LIKELY MONTH FOR THE REGION TO BE AFFECTED BY
A TROPICAL SYSTEM OR THE REMAINS OF A TROPICAL SYSTEM.

$$

CB/VJN