...NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE SEASONAL CLIMATE NARRATIVE... THE METEOROLOGICAL FALL (SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER) OF 2018 ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE FINISHED WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION, AND WELL ABOVE AVERAGE SNOWFALL. THE TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE FALL OF 32.8 INCHES AT CARIBOU RANKED AS THE 3RD SNOWIEST FALL ON RECORD BEHIND ONLY 1949 AND 1974. AT BANGOR, A TOTAL OF 15.9 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED, WHICH MADE IT THE 10TH SNOWIEST FALL ON RECORD. THE FALL STARTED MILD WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 0.5 TO 4 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE, WITH THE GREATEST DEPARTURES ACROSS THE FAR NORTH. THE FIRST COOL SNAP BROUGHT FROST TO AREAS AROUND BANGOR ON THE MORNING OF THE 9TH, AND HOULTON HAD 3 CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS WITH A LOW OF FREEZING OR LOWER FROM THE 8TH TO THE 10TH. THE LOW OF 26 DEGREES AT CARIBOU ON THE 24TH WAS THE FIRST SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURE OF THE SEASON. SEPTEMBER WAS A VERY DRY MONTH WITH ONLY 40 TO 75 PERCENT OF THE NORMAL RAINFALL. BY LATE MONTH, MODERATE DROUGHT WAS AFFECTING PORTIONS OF COASTAL HANCOCK COUNTY AND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN QUARTER TO THIRD OF WASHINGTON COUNTY ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR, AND FLOWS IN AREA RIVERS WERE LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL. OCTOBER WAS COLDER THAN AVERAGE AND ONLY 6 DAYS THE ENTIRE MONTH HAD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AT CARIBOU AND BANGOR. AT HOULTON, THE LOW OF 10 DEGREES ON THE 27TH WAS THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OBSERVED DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER SINCE 1978, AND TIED FOR THE ALL-TIME LOWEST TEMPERATURE OBSERVED SINCE WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1948. THE LOW OF 16 DEGREES AT CARIBOU WAS THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OBSERVED IN OCTOBER SINCE 1976, AND THE LOW OF 5 DEGREES AT ESTCOURT STATION WAS THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OBSERVED ANYWHERE IN THE CONTIGUOUS U.S. THAT MORNING. THE FIRST SNOW FLURRIES OF THE SEASON WERE OBSERVED AT CARIBOU ON THE 18TH AND AT BANGOR ON THE 23RD. SOME LOCATIONS ACROSS NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY EAST INTO SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY OBSERVED 6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE 24TH. ANOTHER EVENT A FEW DAYS LATER PRODUCED 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET FROM CARIBOU NORTH, AND SOME LOCATIONS RECEIVED OVER AN INCH OF SLEET, WHICH IS UNUSUAL IN OCTOBER. NOVEMBER WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR AN UNUSUALLY EARLY ONSET OF WINTER CONDITIONS BEGINNING AROUND THE 10TH OF THE MONTH. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 3.5 TO 5.5 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE. IT WAS THE 2ND COLDEST NOVEMBER (PERIOD OF RECORD) AT BANGOR, THE 4TH COLDEST AT HOULTON, 5TH COLDEST AT MILLINOCKET, AND 9TH COLDEST AT CARIBOU. HOULTON HAD THE EARLIEST SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES ON RECORD ON THE 18TH AND 19TH, AND THE EARLIEST ZERO LOW FOR CARIBOU ON THE 19TH. PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE, AND SNOWFALL RANGED FROM 250 TO 500 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. IT WAS THE 3RD SNOWIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD AT CARIBOU, AND THE 5TH SNOWIEST AT BANGOR. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE SNOW DEPTH WAS NEAR A FOOT ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MAINE WITH AN INCH ON THE GROUND AT BANGOR.