...Northern and eastern Maine monthly climate narrative...

May 2014 went down in the record books with near average

temperatures and precipitation across northern and eastern Maine.

Temperatures across northern and eastern Maine this past may were

generally within one degree of the 30-year average temperature.

The average temperature at Caribou was 52.3 degrees which was just 8

tenths of a degree above normal.  The high temperature this past May

was 78 degrees on the 16^th, .And the low temperature of 29 degrees

was observed on the 9th.  At Bangor, the average temperature of

54.5 degrees was also 8 tenths of a degree above normal.

Temperatures at Bangor this past may ranged from a high of 79 on the

12th to a low of 32 on the 9th.

Frost and even freezing temperatures were common across northern and

eastern Maine on the morning of the 29^th. Lows were in the upper 20s

and lower 30s, even all the way down to coastal Washington and

coastal Hancock counties.

At Caribou, there were 5 days this past may with a high temperature

of 70 degrees or warmer, which compares to an average of 8 days.

At Bangor, there were a total of 7 days with a high temperature of 70

or warmer, which compares to an average of 10.

Precipitation was spread out fairly evenly throughout the month,

although there were several consecutive days with rain from the 17th

through the 20th at most locations across northern Maine.

Precipitation in most areas was near normal and across the region

ranged from 75 to 125 percent of normal. A total of 3.17 inches of

rain was observed at Caribou, which was 16 hundredths of an inch

(0.16") below normal.  At Bangor 3.31 inches of rain fell, Which

was 33 hundredths (0.33") of an inch below normal.  It was the

driest May at Caribou and Bangor since 2010.

The average wind speed this past may at Caribou was 7.6 mph and the

peak wind gusts for the month was 40 mph on the 17th.  At

Bangor, the average wind speed was 7.4 mph and the peak wind speed

for the month was 36 mph on the 6th. The average wind speed was a

bit below average at both locations.

Thunder was observed on one day at Caribou.  No thunder was observed

during the month of May at the Bangor International Airport.  On

average, a thunderstorm is observed on two days during the month of

May at caribou, and about once every other year at Bangor.

In June, the average high at Caribou (Bangor) climbs from 68 (70)

degrees on the 1st to 75 (78) by months end.  The average low

temperature is 45 (48) degrees on the 1st and warms to 54 (56) by

the end of the month.  The amount of available daylight continues to

increase until the summer solstice, which this year occurs at 6:51

am on the 21st.  On the 21st there are 15 hours and 52 minutes while

the sun is above the horizon and 17 hours and 12 minutes of usable

daylight (civil twilight).

The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for June indicates

that there are no strong climate signals that would tilt the odds

towards an unusually wet or dry June, or an unusually hot and cool

month.

Images courtesy of the Climate Prediction Center at: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/