September 2020 Climate Narrative

...SEPTEMBER CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE...

SEPTEMBER 2020 FINISHED A LITTLE WARMER THAN AVERAGE ACROSS THE
REGION, BUT MUCH DRIER THAN AVERAGE.

TEMPERATURES FINISHED 1 TO 2 DEGREES F ABOVE NORMAL WITH THE 57.1
DEGREES AVERAGE AT CARIBOU THE 14TH WARMEST SEPTEMBER, SIGNIFICANTLY
BEHIND THE SEPTEMBER RECORD OF 61.7 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1999. AFTER
A NEAR AVERAGE FIRST 10 DAYS, IT TURNED DECIDELY COOLER MID TO LATE
MONTH WHICH WAS CULMINATED BY 4 TO 5 CONSECUTIVE FROSTY NIGHTS OF
NEAR TO BELOW FREEZING TEMPS, ENDING THE GROWING SEASON FOR MOST OF
THE REGION EXCEPT THE DOWNEAST COAST. THE LAST 5 DAYS OF THE MONTH
FINISHED MUCH ABOVE NORMAL WITH NEAR RECORD TO RECORD TEMPS,
INCLUDING THE 83 DEGREE HIGH AND 66 DEGREE LOW TEMPS RECORDED AT
CARIBOU ON THE 29TH, WITH THE 66 DEGREE LOW THE WARMEST SUCH LOW
THIS LATE IN THE SEASON.

THE BIG STORY THOUGH, WAS THE CONTINUATION OF THE DROUGHT WHICH
BEGAN IN LATE MAY/EARLY JUNE. RAINFALL WAS A VERY SCANT 5 TO 40
PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION. THE TOTAL OF 0.28 INCHES AT
BANGOR EASILY BROKE THE PRIOR DRIEST SEPTEMBER THERE OF 0.64 INCHES
SET BACK IN 1929. IN FACT, SEPTEMBER 2020 WAS LIKELY THE 3RD DRIEST
MONTH OF RECORD, WITH ONLY MARCH 1965 (0.26 INCHES) AND OCTOBER 1947
(0.20 INCHES) OFFICIALLY RECEIVING LESS. THE TOTAL OF 0.06 INCHES
RECORDED AT BANGOR FOR JULY 1952 IS IN DOUBT DUE TO MISSING DATA FOR
THE 26TH AND 27TH OF THAT MONTH WHERE RAIN DID FALL AROUND BANGOR ON
THOSE DAYS.

IT WAS ALSO THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER OF RECORD AT HOULTON WHERE THE 0.50
INCH TOTAL BEAT THE PRIOR RECORD OF 0.66 INCHES SET IN 1950.
MILLINOCKET`S TOTAL OF 0.88 INCHES THIS MONTH WAS THE 3RD DRIEST
SEPTEMBER WITH THE DRIEST 0.60 INCHES RECORDED IN 2014. AT CARIBOU,
THE TOTAL OF 1.15 INCHES WAS THE SECOND DRIEST SEPTEMBER WITH THE
DRIEST 0.86 INCHES IN 1968. PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH,
CARIBOU WAS ON TRACK TO FINISH THE MONTH WITH JUST 0.14 INCHES,
WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SECOND DRIEST MONTH ON RECORD (DRIEST
MONTH OF RECORD JANUARY 1944 WITH 0.12 INCHES), BUT LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL OF 1.01 INCHES FELL ON THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH.

CONTINUED BELOW AVERAGE RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION FROM MAY THROUGH
SEPTEMBER RESULTED IN RECORD LOW RIVER FLOWS AND SOME SITES,
PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE SAINT JOHN AND AROOSTOOK RIVER BASINS, WHERE
SOME STRETCHES OF RIVER LOOKED LIKE VERY LOW TIDE ON WELL
ESTABLISHED SAND BAR OCEAN BEACHES. DROUGHT SEVERITY GENERALLY
INCREASED TO SEVERE TO EXTREME FOR MOST OF THE REGION BY LATE IN THE
MONTH, WITH CONCERNS ABOUT POTATO HARVEST YIELD AND SOME HAND DUG
WELLS GOING DRY.

THE OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IS CALLING FOR ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE REGION. AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM LOWS/HIGHS OF MID 30S/UPPER 50S NORTH TO MID
40S/LOW 60S DOWNEAST. AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IS ABOUT 3.50 TO 4.00
INCHES REGION WIDE.