Fall 2018 Climate Narrative for Northern and Eastern Maine

...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.