May 2024 Climate Review for Northern and Eastern Maine.

...MAY 2024 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...

MAY 2024 FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.
PRECIPITATION WAS MORE VARIABLE AND IN GENERAL WAS BELOW AVERAGE
NORTH AND NEAR AVERAGE TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE SOUTH.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 2.5 TO 4.5 DEGREES (F)
ABOVE THE 30-YEAR 1991-2020 NORMALS. IN CARIBOU IT TIED WITH 2001
AS THE 4TH WARMEST MAY ON RECORD. BOTH HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET
OBSERVED THEIR 7TH WARMEST MAY ON RECORD, AND IN BANGOR IT TIED
WITH 2015 FOR THE 12TH WARMEST MAY ON RECORD. TEMPERATURES WERE A
BIT BELOW AVERAGE FROM THE 8TH THROUGH THE 12TH AND AGAIN THE LAST
FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH, OTHERWISE TEMPERATURES WERE CONSISTENTLY
ABOVE AVERAGE.

THE LAST WIDESPREAD FROST OCCURRED BETWEEN THE 10TH AND 12TH OF
THE MONTH, HOWEVER, NORTHERN VALLEYS DID LOCALLY EXPERIENCE A
LIGHT FROST IN SPOTS DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH.

PRECIPITATION MOSTLY RANGED FROM 50 TO 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL, BUT
IN PART OF SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT AND WESTERN HANCOCK COUNTY
PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 100 TO 130 PERCENT OF NORMAL. FOR MOST
AREAS THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS QUITE DRY WITH MORE FREQUENT
SHOWERS DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH. THE HEAVIEST RAIN
EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 28TH WHEN PARTS OF PISCATAQUIS AND SOUTHERN
PENOBSCOT COUNTIES OBSERVED FROM 1.5 TO 2.25 INCHES OF RAIN.

4.05 INCHES OF EVAPORATION WAS OBSERVED DURING THE MONTH IN
CARIBOU WITH A TOTAL OF 2.71 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS CAUSED THE SOILS
TO DRY OUT SOME BY THE END OF THE MONTH, BUT DUE TO A SOAKING
RAIN IN THE 28TH THERE WERE NO DROUGHT CONDITIONS OBSERVED. THE
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR DID INDICATE UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS IN
NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AND IN FAR NORTHERN SECTIONS OF BOTH
SOMERSET AND PISCATAQUIS COUNTIES BY THE END OF THE MONTH.

THE FIRST SEVERE WEATHER OF THE SEASON WAS OBSERVED ON THE 23RD
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS CAUSED TREES TO BE KNOCKED DOWN IN PARTS OF
AROOSTOOK AND PENOBSCOT COUNTIES.

GREEN-UP THIS YEAR AT CARIBOU WAS OBSERVED ON MAY 5TH, WHICH WAS A
FEW DAYS EARLIER THAN AVERAGE.

A VERY STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM MADE VIVID AURORAS VISIBLE IN MANY
AREAS ON THE NIGHTS OF MAY 10TH THROUGH THE 12TH.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S FORECAST FOR JUNE 2024 INDICATES
THAT THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

AT THE START OF THE MONTH OF JUNE, AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE
UPPER 60S IN THE NORTH TO LOW 70S NEAR BANGOR. AVERAGE LOWS RANGE
FROM THE MID 40S IN THE NORTH TO UPPER 40S AT THE COAST. BY THE
END OF THE MONTH, AVERAGE HIGHS RISE TO THE MID TO UPPER 70S FOR
MOST OF THE AREA, BUT A BIT COOLER ALONG THE COAST.

ON AVERAGE, 3.5 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN IS OBSERVED ACROSS THE AREA
DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE. THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING AN INCREASING
THREAT DURING THE MONTH AND JUNE ON AVERAGE PRODUCES THE 2ND
HIGHEST REPORTS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BEHIND ONLY JULY. THE
OCCURRENCE OF COASTAL FOG INCREASES DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE.

THE SUMMER SOLSTICE THIS YEAR WILL OCCUR AT JUNE 20TH AT 4:50 PM
EDT. THE EARLIEST SUNRISES OF THE YEAR OCCUR AROUND THE MIDDLE OF
THE MONTH, AND THE LATEST SUNSETS DURING THE MID TO LATE MONTH
PERIOD.