July 2021 Climate Review for Northern and Eastern Maine

...JULY 2021 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE...

JULY WAS A COOLER THAN AVERAGE MONTH, AND WAS THE FIRST MONTH
WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES SINCE MAY 2020 AT CARIBOU,
HOULTON, MILLINOCKET, AND BANGOR. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 2 TO
3.5 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE. IT WAS THE COOLEST JULY SINCE 2009 AT
ALL FOUR OF THE AFORE MENTIONED CLIMATE SITES.

THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE THE ENTIRE MONTH IN CARIBOU WAS ONLY 84
DEGREES ON THE 19TH, AND IN BANGOR 85 DEGREES ON THE 15TH. THIS
WAS UNUSUAL AS CARIBOU AVERAGES 4 DAYS WITH A HIGH OF 85 OR WARMER
IN JULY AND BANGOR 8.

PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE DOWNEAST, AND IT WAS THE
ALL-TIME WETTEST JULY ON RECORD IN BANGOR WITH 7.67 INCHES OF
RAIN, WHICH WAS 4.51 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS
RECORD OF 7.25 INCHES IN 1983. PRECIPITATION WAS 150 TO 250
PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES AS WELL
AS SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY. TO THE NORTH, PRECIPITATION TOTALS
DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE NORTH OF MILLINOCKET, AND RANGED
FROM 69 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN CARIBOU TO LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OF
NORMAL ACROSS THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY AND PARTS OF NORTHERN
PISCATAQUIS AND NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTIES.

IN CARIBOU, A TOTAL OF 2.94 INCHES OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED, WHILE JULY
EVAPORATION AS MEASURED AT WFO CARIBOU WAS 4.66 INCHES. EVAPORATION OUTPACED
PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS, WHILE DOWNEAST THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION
FOR THE MONTH FAR OUTPACED THE MONTHLY EVAPORATION.

SEVERE WEATHER TYPICALLY PEAKS DURING THE MONTH OF JULY, BUT THIS
JULY WAS VERY QUIET WITH ONLY 2 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS
ISSUED ALL MONTH. IN FACT, THE ONLY WARNINGS ISSUED WERE DOWNEAST
IN HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES.

DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED, AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH MODERATE
DROUGHT WAS OBSERVED IN NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY, CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN PISCATQUIS COUNTY, AND IN SMALL SECTIONS OF WESTERN
PENOBSCOT COUNTY. IT WAS ABNORMALLY DRY ELSEWHERE, BUT COASTAL
HANCOCK COUNTY, WASHINGTON COUNTY, PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AND EASTERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY WERE NOT IN
DROUGHT.

THE OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION
CENTER IS CALLING FOR GREATER PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT
WOULD POINT TOWARD IT BEING UNUSUALLY WET OR DRY. AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES FOR AUGUST PEAK EARLY IN THE MONTH WITH A MORE RAPID
DECLINE DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH. NEARLY 1 1/2 HOURS OF
DAYLIGHT IS LOST DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST.

Images courtesy of the Northeast Regional Climate Center.