March 2019 Climate Review for Northern and Eastern Maine

 

Temperatures for the month as a whole averaged below the 30-year averages and ranged from 1.5 to 3.5 degrees below average. The month featured alternating spells of below and above average temperatures. The warmest temperatures of the month were observed on the last day of the month when Caribou observed a high of 56 degrees, and Bangor and Millinocket both had a high of 60 degrees. A few spots across interior Down East observed highs in the lower 60s.

 

At Caribou, only 7 inches of snow was observed this past March, which was 11.3 inches below average. It ranked as the 6th least snowy March on record, and was the least snowy March since 2010. At Bangor, 6.7 inches of snow was observed, which was 5 inches below average, and in sharp contrast to March 2018 when 33 inches of snow was observed.

 

Across the region as a whole, precipitation (rain and melted snow) was well below to below average and ranged from 50 to 90 percent of normal. The most significant weather event was a winter storm which affected the region on March 4th. Most of northern Maine observed from 2 to 6 inches of snow, however, parts of coastal Hancock and coastal Washington County observed from 10 to 16 inches of snow.

 

At the start of the month, the snow depth range from 3 to 5 feet across northern areas. Amounts dropped off rapidly to the south of Millinocket with 8 inches on the ground at Bangor and from 2 to 6 inches along the immediate coast. By the end of the month, there was little or no snow in the greater Bangor region and along the coast with 14 inches at Millinocket, and from 2 to 3 feet across far northern Maine. 

 

Through March, a total of 154 inches of snow was observed at Caribou. This ranks as the 4th snowiest winter through March on record at Caribou. The mean snow depth for the month at Caribou was 38.9 inches, which was well above the 30-year average of 15.8 inches. It ranked as the 2nd highest mean snow depth for the month of March behind 1955 when there was a mean snow depth of 39.6 inches.

 

The Climate Prediction Center's outlook for northern and eastern Maine for the month of April indicates an increased likelihood of above average temperatures. There are no strong climate signals that would point toward an unusually wet (snowy) or dry month.